Who took the famous V-J Day in Times Square photograph in New York in 1945?

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

The image shows a sailor kissing a woman in a white dress amid celebrations following Japan’s surrender announcement. Eisenstaedt photographed the scene for Life magazine on 14 August 1945, when crowds gathered in Times Square after news reached the United States.

The woman was later identified as Greta Zimmer Friedman, a dental assistant, and the sailor as George Mendonsa. They were not a romantic couple; the kiss was a spontaneous celebration in a crowded public place. The photograph became one of the best-known visual symbols of the end of World War II.

The image is sometimes mistakenly treated as a record of the 2 September signing ceremony. It actually depicts public celebration in New York after the surrender announcement, weeks before the formal document was signed in Tokyo Bay.