Internet Folklore

Internet Folklore

Getty Degas Doppelgänger

Luke posted himself beside a Degas self-portrait at the Getty; the museum reposted it, and the photo later wandered through the international museum-doppelgänger meme swamp.

Luke F. Walton beside Edgar Degas’s self-portrait at the J. Paul Getty Museum, looking over his shoulder to match the painted figure.
Beside Edgar Degas, Self-portrait (about 1857–1858), J. Paul Getty Museum. Collection record.

On my original Instagram post (October 17, 2014), I stood beside a Degas self-portrait at the Getty. The official Getty Museum Instagram reposted it on May 6, 2016, about a year and a half later. Caption: “That feeling when you worry people will notice that you’ve been time-traveling Degas this whole time.” Photo credit to @lukewaltonmusic. Then the internet filed me under museum doppelgängers.

The image wandered through Reddit (Blor-Utar / Reddit), the Bored Panda roundup (“Historic Doppelganger Time”), a Greek Newsbomb repost, a Ranker list (“This Man Should Keep His Windows Closed on Stormy Nights”), Pinterest pins, and the international meme swamp. Not résumé material. Just funny internet history.

Special thanks to Pavlos from Pavlos Tacos, who confirmed the Greek meme-site leg of this saga while I was trying to order a Justin burrito. Ευχαριστώ, amigo.

Getty post
@gettymuseum, May 6, 2016 · 1,723 likes · 44 comments
Artwork
Edgar Degas, Self-portrait (about 1857–1858) · J. Paul Getty Museum (95.GG.43)
Original post
my original Instagram post, October 17, 2014

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