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I am actually completing Master's Thesis on Lawson Homology. In order to do this, I am writing an appendix on Higher Homotopy Groups. Now, as you know, one of the most important Homotopy theorists ever is J. H. C. Whitehead and much of the standard material on homotopy groups etc. is due to him. So, in his honor, I would like to include in my thesis a picture of him. Searching on Google, I found the following (funny) picture of Whitehead.

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Now I am wondering if there is some story or funny fact behind this picture. Any anecdote is well accepted.

Vincenzo Zaccaro
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    Best ever off-topic question on MathOverflow! – Jeremy Rickard Jan 03 '19 at 17:30
  • @JeremyRickard I posted the question with the tag "history-overview". Despite the funny nature of the question, I thought it was interesting to know the story of this picture. – Vincenzo Zaccaro Jan 03 '19 at 17:38
  • Where precisely did you find the picture? – j.c. Jan 03 '19 at 17:41
  • Here: https://alchetron.com/J-H-C-Whitehead – Vincenzo Zaccaro Jan 03 '19 at 17:42
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    This may get closed as answers may end up being primarily oswinion based. Gerhard "Can Think Of Other Reasons" Paseman, 2019.01.03. – Gerhard Paseman Jan 03 '19 at 17:44
  • The original web source might be the MacTutor History of Mathematics biography page on Whitehead ("Click the picture above to see four larger pictures"): http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Whitehead_Henry.html . I couldn't find a source for the image there... – j.c. Jan 03 '19 at 17:46
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    but note the following paragraph which states that he lived on a farm: "Whitehead's father died in 1947 and his mother died six years later in 1953. She had owned a small farm and when Whitehead inherited the cattle he and his wife decided to buy Manor Farm in Noke, north of Oxford. The farm was run mainly by Whitehead's wife but he took a keen interest in the farm where the couple lived until Whitehead's death." – j.c. Jan 03 '19 at 17:46
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    @GerhardPaseman, amusing typo or subtle joke? Anyway, closing this question would be piggish. – LSpice Jan 03 '19 at 17:47
  • @j.c. It may be a good reason! – Vincenzo Zaccaro Jan 03 '19 at 17:49
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    I believe another student of Whitehead was Ronnie Brown, of this parish. Maybe he’ll have memories to share. – Jeremy Rickard Jan 03 '19 at 18:04
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    The most off topic weird question Ive ever seen on mathover flow. How does the question spark any mathematical thoughts? I wonder if poeple in the future will post picture of cars welknown mathematicians used to drive or other irreverent things of that nature.... – BigM Jan 03 '19 at 18:14
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    @BigM You are free to think whatever you want. I only thought it was nice to know more about the life of a Mathematician like Whitehead. Maybe some professor as well will appreciate the spirit of this question and will tell his classroom the story of "Whitehead and his pig". – Vincenzo Zaccaro Jan 03 '19 at 18:27
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    Maybe better suited for https://hsm.stackexchange.com/ . Or maybe not. – Torsten Schoeneberg Jan 03 '19 at 18:42
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    Or maybe ham.stackexchange.com – Gerry Myerson Jan 03 '19 at 20:16
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    @GerhardPaseman Obviously it is opignon-based. – Danny Ruberman Jan 04 '19 at 01:33
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    This question is now on the Hot Network Questions list. – JRN Jan 04 '19 at 12:52
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    @BigM: According to the answer, scratching pigs' backs may very well spark mathematical thoughts. I wonder how many mathematicians will start trying it. Talking about irony... – user21820 Jan 05 '19 at 09:54
  • @user21820 some mathematicians came up with break through results after staring at ceiling and walls.next time will post a picture of some nice ceiling. I still believe this question doesn't belong and Im sure I'm not the only one here – BigM Jan 05 '19 at 17:20
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    @BigM The aim of MO is letting people learn Mathematics, and given the tag "history-overview", Mathematics history as well. I think everyone learned something about Whitehead thanks to this post. Thus I cannot figure out what your problem is. – Vincenzo Zaccaro Jan 05 '19 at 21:26
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    @BigM: My comment was just pointing out the irony, and had nothing to do with the suitability of a question on MO (which is for the MO community to decide). But in any case, mathematics is not done in a social vacuum. In fact, mathematics is as much a social as an intellectual construct. So the lives of historical mathematicians is actually relevant to the mathematical community. And I can be quite sure that most of this community would be more interested in Whitehead and his pigs than other mathematicians who get break-through results after staring at the ceiling. =) – user21820 Jan 06 '19 at 14:02
  • @GerryMyerson, I thought you were joking, but I just found out that there really is a https://ham.stackexchange.com/ – JRN Jan 26 '19 at 05:59

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The first record I found of this photograph is in Oxford Figures: Eight Centuries of the Mathematical Sciences. Professor Michael Atiyah shares some recollections of J.H.C. Whitehead and his pigs:

See also an interview with Atiyah at Oxford Mathematics Interviews. (Whitehead and pigs enter at the two-minute mark.)

This might explain why Whitehead liked pigs:

• Henry Whitehead, whose school of topology attracted scholars from around the world, was a keen pig farmer: he claimed to derive mathematical inspiration by scratching his pigs’ backs for an hour every afternoon.
source: Oxford Mathematical Institute Spring Newsletter

Carlo Beenakker
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