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Oil painting detail (placeholder)

A Tiny Window, A Vast Century

Artwork: “Portrait of a Gentleman” (1872) • Numbers fact: first traffic light (1868) • Quote: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

A century folds into a frame: “Portrait of a Gentleman” arrived in 1872, the same era that gave the world its first traffic light. A gadget for order amid chaos, gas‑lit and hopeful. Today’s pocket‑thought: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Which came first?

Result Correct answer: B

The first traffic light (gas‑lit) was installed in 1868 in London. The portrait is from 1872.

Crowd split (demo): 62% guessed wrong.

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