The Expected One: The internet has been left baffled by a painting which appears to show a woman holding an 'iPhone'.

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People Left Baffled As 150-Year-Old Painting Seems To Show ‘Woman Using An iPhone’

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21:33 04 May 2023

Updated: 02:39 23 November 2024


People have been left baffled by a 150-year-old painting of a woman – as it appears to show her using an ‘iPhone’. 

Over the years, the way we interpret art has evolved to reflect changes in society and culture.

Technology has also played a significant role in this.

And now, many have been left with one question when it comes to a centuries-old painting.

Learn more about the centuries-old painting ‘The Expected One’ in the clip below…

The painting, entitled ‘The Expected One’, was painted by Ferdinand George Waldmüller in the 1860s.

It shows a woman walking through a forested area while she appears to be completely engrossed in the item she’s holding.

In the corner, it also shows a man kneeling in the shade while clutching onto a flower.

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The image first gained popularity on the internet in 2017 while it was displayed at the Neue Pinakothek Museum in Munich, Germany.

Many of its modern viewers have said that the woman looks like she is holding onto an ‘iPhone’.

But the first person to notice the painting’s resemblance to a social media user was Peter Russell, who remarked on how technology has influenced the interpretation of the artwork.

Speaking at the Motherboard, he said (via VICE): “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.”

150-year-old painting shows woman holding 'iPhone'.
Modern viewers say the woman in ‘The Expected One’ looks like she is using an ‘iPhone’ – but this isn’t the case. Credit: Alamy

Russell went on to clarify that the woman is most likely reading a hymn or prayer book.

He added: “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.

“Today, no one could fail to see the resemblance to the scene of a teenage girl absorbed in social media on their smartphone.”

On Twitter, many have been quick to agree that the woman is definitely holding onto a book of some kind.

One person says: “It’s a book. Probably a small bible.”

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Another adds: “It’s clearly a bible with gold-edged pages.”

The painting has become an intriguing symbol of how technology has transformed our perceptions and how we interpret historical artworks.

While some may be disappointed that the woman is not, in fact, using an iPhone, the painting continues to fascinate viewers as a testament to how the evolution of technology can alter our perspectives on the past.

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