TITLE: J. H. C Whitehead (and his pig)
QUESTION [62 upvotes]: 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.

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

REPLY [57 votes]: 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