Who was the woman photographed in Alfred Eisenstaedt’s famous V-J Day kiss image?

Greta Zimmer Friedman was the woman photographed in Alfred Eisenstaedt’s famous V-J Day kiss image.

Friedman, born Grete Zimmer in Austria, was working as a dental assistant in New York when she went into Times Square on August 14, 1945. A sailor grabbed and kissed her during the spontaneous celebrations surrounding news that Japan had accepted the Allied surrender terms.

For decades, the identities of both people in the image were disputed because Eisenstaedt did not record their names. Friedman recognized herself in the photograph and later provided photographs and information supporting her claim. Historical research eventually confirmed her as the woman shown in Eisenstaedt’s image.

The picture is often described as a romantic kiss, but Friedman later explained that the sailor’s action was not her choice. This context is important: the photograph became a celebratory cultural symbol, while the woman pictured described the encounter as a sudden, non-consensual act.