Mr. Pynchon and the Settling of Springfield — a 1933 painting by the Italian American artist Umberto Romano — depicts quite what the title says: Mr. Pynchon, the founder of the town, stands in the center of the scene and appears to be giving out various town management orders. What makes it curious is a Native American man sitting in the foreground and holding a rectangular object that is uncannily similar to a modern smartphone. It is probably just a small mirror, but wouldn’t life be more fun if we found out iPhones are really not as innovative as they’re thought to be?