The 'Time Travel' 1860 Painting That Appears To Show A Woman Engrossed In An IPHONE

by Cheyenne Macdonald; Dailymail.com

Scene was spotted in 19th century Waldmüller painting at the Neue Pinakothek
It shows a woman walking down a path, appearing to hold a smartphone
Despite the uncanny resemblence experts say she’s holding a hymnbook

At first glance, it appears a baffling anachronism – a woman in 19th century dress walking head down through the countryside, with her eyes glued to a smartphone.

The bizarre scene was spotted in an 1850s Waldmüller painting at the Neue Pinakothek museum in Munich by retired Glasgow local government officer Peter Russell.

While the true explanation behind the painting may be far more time-appropriate, the century-old piece bears remarkable similarity to a scene that’s become all too familiar today, as ‘distracted walkers’ dominate the sidewalks with phone in hand.

THE PAINTING

The scene was spotted in an 1850s Waldmüller painting called The Expected One, at the Neue Pinakothek museum.

It was painted by Austrian artist Ferdinand Georg Waldmüllerin 1850 or 60.

According to the gallery, the painting is also known as ‘Sunday Morning,’ and shows the two characters dressed in their Sunday clothes.

As the boy awaits the arrival of ‘his love,’ the girl appears engrossed in her hymnbook, leaving the viewer wondering if his feelings will be reciprocated.

The piece, titled The Expected One, was painted by Austrian artist Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller around 1850-60.

It shows a woman walking down a rocky dirt path, as a kneeling man awaits her approach not far ahead, with a pink flower in his hand.

With her attention focused on the small rectangular object she’s clutching, the similarity to modern distracted walkers is striking.

But, the object in her hands is not a smartphone, but a hymnbook.

‘What strikes me most is how much a change in technology has changed the interpretation of the painting, and in a way has leveraged its entire context,’ Russell told Motherboard.

‘The big change is that in 1850 or 1860, every single viewer would have identified the item that the girl is absorbed in as a hymnal or prayer book.

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