The young woman standing beside the lockers is holding several books against her chest. Her outfit would not necessarily look unusual for the decade, and neither would her hairstyle or brown shoulder bag.
However, take a closer look at her wrist.
She appears to be wearing a modern smartwatch.
That small black rectangular device is the giveaway.
Modern smartwatches capable of displaying digital information, connecting to smartphones, tracking fitness data, receiving messages, and running apps belong to a completely different technological era.
In 1976, personal technology looked dramatically different.
Digital wristwatches did exist during the 1970s, and they were considered futuristic at the time. Early models generally displayed the time using LED or LCD technology. They did not resemble today’s touchscreen smartwatches, and they certainly did not have the advanced features people now take for granted.
There were no smartphones for a smartwatch to connect to. There was no Bluetooth, no mobile apps, no text-message notifications appearing on your wrist, and no modern fitness-tracking ecosystem.
That is what makes the photograph so convincing at first.
