Iconic Image - by Alfred Eisenstaedt

Alfred Eisenstaedt (December 6, 1898 – August 23, 1995) was a German-born American photographer and photojournalist.

Probably his most famous photograph was V-J Day in Times Square, taken during the V-J Day celebration in New York City. It shows a uniformed sailer dramatically embracing and kissing a nurse. It appeared on the cover of Life Magazine.

Eisenstaedt recalls: “I was walking through the crowds on V-J Day, looking for pictures. I noticed a sailor coming my way. He was grabbing every female he could find and kissing them all — young girls and old ladies alike. Then I noticed the nurse, standing in that enormous crowd. I focused on her, and just as I'd hoped, the sailor came along, grabbed the nurse, and bent down to kiss her. Now if this girl hadn't been a nurse, if she'd been dressed in dark clothes, I wouldn't have had a picture. The contrast between her white dress and the sailor's dark uniform gives the photograph its extra impact.”

You will notice that neither sailor or nurse has their face in clear view. So the identities of these two have been subject of much debate over the years with many people laying claim to being either of them. Not sure it will ever be 100% known!