02 June 2023 , 15:00
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Conspiracy theorists believe a painting from nearly 100 years ago showing a Native American man holding a 'mobile phone' proves time travel exists.
The work - titled Mr Pynchon and the Settling of Springfield - was completed by Italian artist Umberto Romano in 1937 and depicts the arrival of settlers to the town in the 1620s.
A local is seen holding up a small, black rectangular object similar to the shape of an iPhone and looking directly at it, almost as if he was snapping a selfie.
The peculiar object has left viewers baffled, with many drawing the conclusion that it could be a sign of time travel as iPhones were not invented until 2007.
However, in an article on Motherboard, Brian Anderson concluded the device is most likely a mirror.
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Mr Anderson wrote: "There's reason to believe, then, that what the man is examining is not an Indigenous object, but rather of European origin, like mirrors, which were presented often in such exchanges," he wrote.
A Native American appears to be holding a mobile phone (https://postalmuseum.si.edu/indiansatthepostoffice/mural9.html)"The way the man holds it up, if indeed he's looking at his own face reflecting back at him, would certainly make sense."
However, this is not the first time a 'mobile phone' has been spotted in a painting long before the device was invented.
Conspiracy theorists backed the time travel theory after a woman was holding a 'mobile phone' in the background of a Charlie Chaplin movie from 1928.
The black and white image of the 'time traveller' was taken from the comic's silent movie, The Circus.
Conspiracy theorists believe the detail proves time travel exists (https://postalmuseum.si.edu/indi)In the shot, a woman dressed in a black top hat and white gloves can be seen walking around in the background of the set holding what seems to be a device in her hand, with many suggesting that she's holding a mobile phone.
Handheld mobile phones were not widely available until the 1980s, around 50 years after the Charlie Chaplin movie was released.
The Sun reports that Irish filmmaker George Clarke discovered the 'time traveller' in the 1928 movie back in 2010 before posting his findings to his Youtube channel.
In the video, which has since gathered nearly seven million views, the filmmaker explained: "If you look carefully, she's talking on a thin, black device that is held to her ear.
“If you notice also that the knuckles are bent in the flat shape of a phone.
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“The phone is to the ear. It's not an ear trumpet. It is not an AM/FM radio, obviously because it's 1928.
"Technically, there's nothing that can explain [what] is in her hand… It's clear she's talking. She's on her own. She's talking into the device."
A few days after George posted the Youtube video, conspiracy theorists began to offer their views on the 'time traveller' footage.
Some claimed that the woman was simply shielding her eyes from the Sun, while others argued that she was cupping her ear.
However, the Daily News soon shut down the conspiracies, stating that "while this fantastical theory is fun to ponder, in all likelihood the woman is actually using a hearing aid."