Who photographed the iconic sailor kissing a woman in Times Square on V-J Day?

Alfred Eisenstaedt photographed the iconic sailor kissing a woman in Times Square on V-J Day.

Eisenstaedt captured the image in New York City on August 14, 1945, as crowds celebrated news that Japan had accepted the Allied surrender terms. Life magazine published it the following week, helping turn the picture into one of the best-known photographs of the twentieth century.

The image is often called V-J Day in Times Square. The woman was later identified as Greta Zimmer Friedman, a dental assistant, while the sailor was identified as George Mendonsa. Eisenstaedt did not initially record their names, and several people later claimed to be the pair.

A separate photograph of the same moment was taken by U.S. Navy photographer Victor Jorgensen. That image, titled Kissing the War Goodbye, appeared in The New York Times and was composed from a different angle.