An exhausted country had just gotten the word it was waiting for : Japan had surrender , ending World War II after more than three and a half old age of American involvement . The scene on August 14 , 1945 was helter-skelter , as solemnisation — some jubilant , others destructive — unfolded all across the United States , but in Times Square one photograph in fussy was about to engrave its way into our collective retention . This photo , taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt , has come up to symbolize everything that was right about that Clarence Day — and the post - World War II boom period to follow .
Known asV - J Day in Times Square , or even justThe Kiss , it render an elated sailor boy and a cleaning woman in a nurse ’s uniform locked in a knack - over buss with Times Square standing watch in the background . It was romantic . It was hopeful . It was what the body politic was in desperate motive of at the time .
Since it was print in the August 27 , 1945issue ofLifemagazine , the picture has gone on to become one of the most iconic — and controversial — of the 20th century . But despite how memorable the photograph has become over the years , we still do n’t know the whole chronicle behind it . Here are nine things you might not know about Eisenstaedt’sV - J Day in Times Square .
1. EISENSTAEDT WASN’T THE ONLY ONE WHO CAUGHT THE KISS.
V - J Day in Times Squareis an unforgettable part of 20th century photography , but which version do you see when you picture it in your mind ? Arguably the most pop one was print inLifemagazine by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt . With the couple firmly placed in the centre of the image , the photo ’s composition is structure so you may see their full physical structure with the distinct presence of Times Square serve as the backdrop . It was the perfect second in the right localisation on a historical day .
As it turns out , Victor Jorgensen , a photographer for the U.S. Navy , catch the same kiss at well-nigh the same prison term . Jorgensen ’s image , however , was taken much nigher , with less of Times Square ’s familiar aura in the background signal . While it never give the heights of theLifeimage , the moving picture by Jorgensen does have the benefit of existing in thepublic domain , think of it ’s far easier to use for promotional determination .
2. THIS WAS FAR FROM THE ONLY KISSING COUPLE PHOTOGRAPHED FORLIFE.
Eisenstaedt ’s photo was n’t the only piece of V - J Day PDA that graced the August 27 , 1945issue ofLife . The issue also featured photos of military personnel from Washington , D.C ; Kansas City ; and Miami wholesale women off their feet for a celebratory kiss . None of those quite insert the zeitgeist like Eisenstaedt ’s , though .
The magazine ’s editors must have also seen the potential difference in the Manhattan exposure , as it was given a full - page spread , while the others all had to fight for attention on a deal Thomas Nelson Page . Lifehad more depiction of couples embracing in the heart of Manhattan that went unpublished in the take — some of them , once again , shot by Eisenstaedt , who alsogot in on the actionwith a picture show of himself planting a kiss on a adult female in Times Square .
3. THE DUO’S IDENTITY HAS NEVER BEEN OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHED.
Due to the topsy-turvyness in Times Square that day , neither Eisenstaedt nor Jorgensen think to get the kissing couple ’s names . This moment of anonymity pass to a closed book over who on the dot these two were , and over the tenner numerous people have come forth lay claim to be from the photo .
After years of question and fictitious leads , the public figure of two people pour down up the most : George Mendonsa and Greta Zimmer Friedman as the skimmer and nurse , respectively . This was accomplish throughfirsthand accountsfrom the duette and other witnesses , and analysis from far - ranging experts , including a prof of photography from Yale ( who recognizeda bumpon Mendonsa ’s arm in person and in the picture ) and a forensic anthropologist named Norman Sauer , whose researchwas used in a 2012 record on the discipline calledThe Kissing Sailorby author Lawrence Verria and George Galdorisi .
4. THE PHOTO IS STILL BEING DISSECTED BY EXPERTS.
Despite the conclusions reached by many expert , there is still plenty of doubt clouding the couple ’s indistinguishability . A serviceman advert Glenn Edward McDuffie was one of the most prominent other possibilities for the sailor ; major news outlets evenwrote obituariesfor the ego - promulgate “ Kissing Sailor ” when he died in 2014 .
Mendonsa has always been steadfast in his belief of his involvement in the movie ( even fetch the magazineto courtover the whole ordeal ) , but McDuffie make out along in 2007 with grounds from a forensic artist to back up his persona in the osculation .
The mystery even caught the attention of astronomer and physicist , whospent four yearsresearching every shadow in the picture , rate the kiss at5:51 p.m. , which lines up with McDuffie ’s story of the solar day . Conversely , inThe Kissing Sailor , Dr. Sauer notedhow the facial social organisation of the sailor in the picture could only match Mendonsa . More than 70 years later , each potential sailor has his own group of believer .
Those in the know do n’t believe we ’ll ever have an official resolution . Liz Ronk , who dish up as the pic editor in chief ofLife , has said , " So many the great unwashed have come frontwards and said , ' That was me . ’ So we really do n’t make love . "
5. FRIEDMAN AND MENDONSA DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE PICTURE UNTIL YEARS LATER.
Greta Friedman had no clew about her donation to the land ’s ethnical consciousness until twelvemonth later , when , as she separate the Veteran ’s History Project , she stumbled upon the photo .
“ I did n’t see the picture until the sixties when I see at a book calledThe Eye of Eisenstaedt , ” she aver . She immediately contactedLifemagazine , but at this point , someone had already come along , claiming to be the nursemaid in the picture .
“ I did n’t believe that because I know it happened to me , and it ’s exactly my figure and what I wear out and my hairdo especially , and I sent them some photographs,”she explained . “ So clock time go by , and in 1980 they contact me , LIFEMagazine contacted me , and I brought the picture to Mr. Eisenstaedt , and he signed it and apologize . ”
It took Mendonsa even longer — he would n’t see the pictureuntil 1980 . Though doubts will remain about their identity , both Friedman and Mendonsa have been more widely recognized as the two in the picture in recent decennium . When Friedman , who passed aside in 2016 , was honored by the Veteran ’s History Project in 2005 , the organization also made reference to Mendonsa as the sailor in interrogative sentence . Shortly after , Mendonsa himselfwas interviewedby the organization .
6. FRIEDMAN WASN’T A MILITARY NURSE.
The image on that mean solar day in Times Square is gross : The sailor , fresh from state of war , is seen giving a passionate kiss to a military nurse as victory is proclaimed . It nominate for a skillful photo , but , as always , the trueness is n’t quite so storybook .
Friedman was born in Austria and came to America when she was 15 toescape the Nazis ; her parent stayed behind and later died in compactness ingroup . She worked in Manhattan as a dental assistant and pelt along over to Times Square to overcharge in the triumph jubilation .
Her dental spot ’s unparalleled uniform , with the clean dress and stockings , inadvertently caused many people to believe she was a nanny , perhaps even for the military machine . When asked by the Veterans History Project , Friedman confirmedher civilian statusat the time . Though she had no military background knowledge , her outfit fed into the national mythology ( and made for an unforgettable exposure - op ) .
7. AT LEAST ONE PERSON WAS POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED IN THE PICTURE.
George Mendonsa ’s very public kiss may seem like the body of work of a bachelor serviceman looking to celebrate victory with a pretty , youthful nursemaid , but if you look closely over his right shoulder , you ’ll see a beaming smile from a woman in the setting list Rita Petry . She and Mendonsa ( who was on farewell from the Navy at the metre ) were on theirfirst dateon August 14 , 1945 when the festivity broke out , pass to him kiss another woman in front of her . Not a great start for a bud romance .
Petry is n’t feature in Eisenstaedt ’s most famous angle of the picture , but she is prominent in one of the other three he take of the candy kiss in agile succession . Claiming not to be bothered by the kiss , she would finally become Mendonsa ’s married woman . Though in 2012 she toldtheNew York Post , “ In all these years , George has never buss me like that . ”
As Mendonsapoints out , his married woman is the “ big proof ” of his identity in the picture , as she has beendeterminedto have " considerable strong-arm resemblance to " the woman in the backcloth and was witness to the osculation .
8. THE CELEBRATIONS WEREN’T EXACTLY PEACEFUL …
V - J Day in Times Squarefocused on the romantic , joyous side of a land celebrating the end of warfare . But there was a fair amount of mayhem among all the revelry . AsTimemagazineexplained :
footer and serviceman likewise took part in the debauchery . extra exposure in that famousLifemagazineshow sailors kick downstairs into liquor stores in San Francisco to secure some celebratory libations , as New York City apartment - dweller litter the metropolis with a parade that left paper junk and mangle cloth ankle - deeply on the urban center street .
More serious hazards included drunken joy - rider in Hollywood , mobs of masses in Washington D.C. charging toward the White House , and other San Franciscans inexplicably dropping potted plants onto the sidewalks below . After nearly four old age of warfare — and a withering Depression before that — the country allowed itself to cut loose .
9. … AND SOME ARGUE THAT THE PHOTO ISN’T WORTH CELEBRATING AT ALL.
One2012 web log postinspired a heated argumentation about the dynamic depicted in the image , pointing to interview Friedman did over the years , saying in 2005 . " It was n’t my pick to be kissed , " she enounce . " The bozo just arrive over and snog or grabbed , " and in 2012 saying , " I was n’t kissing him , he was kissing me . " The kiss Einsenstaedt captured constitute intimate assault , the blogger indicate , and anyone who render it as a amorous , passionate embracing is demonstrate " froward blindness . " According toher son Josh , Friedman " always had an appreciation for a feminist standpoint , and understood the premise that you do n’t have a right to be sexual with a unknown on the street . " Still , he added , " she did n’t assign any spoilt motive to George in that circumstance , that situation , that time . "
