Who photographed the famous 1945 image known as V-J Day in Times Square?

Alfred Eisenstaedt photographed the famous 1945 image known as V-J Day in Times Square.

The photograph shows a U.S. Navy sailor kissing a woman in Times Square during celebrations on 14 August 1945. Eisenstaedt was working for Life magazine and captured the scene with a Leica IIIa camera. Life published the image the following week, helping it become one of the best-known photographs associated with the end of World War II.

The woman was dental assistant Greta Zimmer Friedman, while the sailor was later identified as George Mendonsa. Eisenstaedt did not record their names at the time, and other people initially claimed to be the subjects. The photograph’s angle and the rapid movement of the crowd contributed to the confusion.

U.S. Navy photographer Victor Jorgensen photographed the same moment from another viewpoint. His image was published as Kissing the War Goodbye. The two photographs are related but are not the same picture, a distinction often missed in captions and trivia questions.