Which photographer took the famous Times Square V-J Day kiss photograph in 1945?

Alfred Eisenstaedt took the famous Times Square V-J Day kiss photograph in 1945.

Eisenstaedt photographed a U.S. Navy sailor kissing a woman in Times Square on August 14, 1945, as crowds celebrated the expected end of the war with Japan. The image was later published in Life magazine and became one of the most recognizable photographs associated with V-J Day.

The woman in Eisenstaedt’s photograph was Greta Zimmer Friedman, a dental assistant who had not previously known the sailor. The sailor was later identified by some researchers as George Mendonsa, although the image’s identities have been debated for decades.

The photograph is often called “V-J Day in Times Square” or “The Kiss.” It is sometimes confused with another photograph taken at the same location by U.S. Navy photographer Victor Jorgensen. Eisenstaedt’s image remains distinct because of its composition and magazine publication.