Who photographed the iconic “V-J Day in Times Square” image from the 1945 celebrations?

Alfred Eisenstaedt photographed the iconic “V-J Day in Times Square” image from the 1945 celebrations.

The photograph shows a U.S. Navy sailor kissing a woman in Times Square on August 14, 1945, as crowds celebrated news that Japan had surrendered. Eisenstaedt was working for Life magazine and captured the scene with a Leica IIIa camera.

The image was published in Life the following week as part of a large section about victory celebrations across the United States. It became one of the best-known photographs associated with the end of World War II.

A common mix-up is confusing Eisenstaedt’s image with a second photograph of the same moment by U.S. Navy photographer Victor Jorgensen. The two pictures were taken from different angles, and Jorgensen’s image was published in The New York Times.