A nearly 90-year-old painting has become the subject of an unusual online conspiracy theory, with some social media users claiming an indigenous man depicted in the artwork is holding a modern smartphone. The mural, titled "Mr. Pynchon and the Settling of Springfield," was created by Italian American muralist Umberto Romano in 1937.
The artwork portrays an indigenous man alongside other tribesmen and early English colonists in 17th-century Springfield, Massachusetts. Social media posts, particularly on X, have highlighted a rectangular object held by the man, describing it as black with reflective trim and resembling a cell phone.
However, historians suggest the object is most likely a mirror. Mirrors were reportedly common trade items during the 17th century in American colonies, and the man may have been looking at his own reflection.
Romano created the mural, one of six for the Springfield Main Post Office, with the assistance of students. The project was funded by the Federal Arts Project, a government program established during the Great Depression to employ visual artists between 1935 and 1943. The mural depicts John Pynchon, one of Springfield's founders, overseeing interactions between English settlers and local Agawam, Pocomtuc, and Nipmuc peoples. Romano consulted with historian Harry Andrews Wright and author Esther Forbes to ensure historical accuracy for the period between 1636 and 1936. Art historians emphasize that Romano's semi-abstract style and composition were the intended focus, without anachronistic elements.