Apple’s handheld devices have become so popular that they’ve woven themselves into everyday life. iPhones are everywhere, so much so that sometimes people imagine these phones showing up in places where smartphones shouldn’t exist. The latest example is an image that some claim can be spotted in paintings from centuries ago.
The painting below is titled The Expected One, created by 19th-century Austrian artist Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller. It’s been going viral online because from a distance, the girl in the center looks like she’s holding… an iPhone.
Of course, according to some reliable sources, that’s not an iPhone. Since this artwork has religious themes, the girl is probably holding something like a hymn book.
In fact, another painting shows a similar detail and even caught the attention of Apple CEO Tim Cook. The artwork, titled The Man Giving a Letter to a Woman in a Hall by Pieter de Hooch, was painted in 1670. Tim Cook shared how he was shocked when he saw it during a museum visit in Amsterdam. He recounted the story in an interview when asked: “Tim, do you happen to know where and when the iPhone was invented?”
“You know, I thought I knew the answer until last night,” Cook said. “Last night, Neelie took me to see some paintings, and one of them really shocked me. There was an iPhone in it. It’s hard to spot, but I swear it’s there.”
Actually, as the title suggests, the character in the painting is holding a letter. But the artist painted it in a way that makes it look like an iPhone.
“I always thought I knew when the iPhone was invented, but now I’m not so sure,” the Apple CEO admitted.
However, it’s important to clarify that the first iPhone was officially released in 2007 when Steve Jobs was still leading Apple.
Source: BGR
