On August 14, 1945, President Harry Truman took to the airwaves to announce that Japan had accepted the terms of surrender and that the war was over. The news sparked spontaneous celebrations across the United States, including in Times Square where photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured a joyous sailor kissing a passing nurse. First published in Life magazine as part of a pictorial titled Victory, Eisenstaedt’s V-J Day in Times Square has since become one of the most iconic images of the Second World War. Although several people have claimed to be the kissing couple, their true identities were a mystery until the 2012 book The Kissing Sailor revealed the results of extensive forensic analysis which determined that George Mendonsa and Greta Zimmer Friedman were the sailor and nurse in the photo. Interestingly, helping establish the identity of Mendonsa’s as the sailor is that fact that his future wife can be seen just over his right shoulder. The two had been out on a date when Mendonsa felt compelled to kiss the first nurse he saw in appreciation for what they had done for the wounded during the war.
Like Joe Rosenthal’s Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, Eisenstaedt’s V-J Day in Times Square has been endlessly copied, reenacted and parodied.
Here are examples of the photo’s impact on pop culture:
The original: V-J in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt
Kissing the War Goodbye by U.S. Navy photographer Victor Jorgensen was taken at almost the exact same moment as V-J in Times Square, but from a slightly different angle.
U.S. postage stamp issued in 1995
Unconditional Surrender, a series of 25 foot tall statues by J. Seward Johnson, has been on display in Sarasota, FL, San Diego, CA and Hamilton, NJ. The version in Sarasota was damaged when struck by a car.
Recreated with Lego by Balakov.
The Simpsons episode, “Bart the General.”
By artist Juliana Coutinho
Actress Anna Lynne McCord of 90210 posed as the nurse to kick of 2009’s “Kisses for the Troops” campaign.
Times Square Bite by Flying Mouse 365.
The character Silhouette replaced the sailor in the opening sequence of the 2009 film The Watchmen.
Mosaic by artist Ingrid Pisano.
Cake topper by weddingsculptures.com.
Ben Stiller and Amy Adams (as Amelia Earhart) stepped into the photo in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009).
Z-Day, available at Threadless.
Street art in New York by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra.
Guy Gardner and Ice from the Green Lantern comic series.
V-J Day in Duckburg by Threadless.
A torso tattoo.
Although it is one of Life magazine’s most famous photos, V-J in Times Square did not appear on the cover until 2005.
