Alfred Eisenstaedt really captured a moment. Wikipedia has an entire page on this photo. It must have been the anniversary of it yesterday that brought it to mind. I like this version of it the best. I believe they said there were 4 frames taken by Eisenstaedt, and many recreations then and in later years. Its most often seen in black and white, which I would normally tend to go for, but this color version really captures the boundless joy of the day.

Regrettably the fast paced nature of the day prevented Eisenstaedt from taking down the names of the subjects as is usually the case of published photos. It seems to be the majority opinion Greta Zimmer Friedman is the woman in the picture (she was a dental hygienist and wore a uniform like that). Who the man was is of great debate. George Mendonsa seems to be favored amongst the men. He recognizes Friedman as the woman he kissed, which is rather convincing as a moment like that would be etched in his mind.

Unfortunately in later years Ms. Friedman said she had not been wanting to be kissed at all, and that the inebriated sailor forced himself on her as it were. Another mark in her favor as being the woman in the photo, that and the other claimant was 4′ 10″ and was simply too short to have been the woman in the photo.  Another interesting aspect of this moment in time was that Navy photographer Victor Jorgensen took an image at the same time as Eisenstaedt. Jorgensen would have been about 8 feet to the right of Eisenstaedt (below). Jorgensen’s photo cut them off at the knee, had a more cluttered backdrop then the stunning background of Eisenstaedt’s Times Square.

Although Jorgensen’s photo may have been viewed more over the years, as his photo wasn’t copyrighted as an on duty government employee. Eisenstaedt’s was copyrighted and he insured that it had limited release. People like to think the photo captured the joyous nature of the day and two willing participants. As with a lot of things we don’t always “know” what we think we know. Mendonsa says he held the kiss a moment long, as he saw the photographer taking the photo. Kissing was more common back then.

It was virtually assured you weren’t passing something that would kill the other person. It is even said a fundraiser back then sometimes involved a “kissing booth”. “Sexual assault” was definitely more common back then. I remember reading a women’s Letter to the Editor about what it was like to work in an office environment back in the 50s. She said a woman knew who not to go into the copier room alone with. Who might try to steal a kiss in the elevator. And that if it was egregious enough, the woman might send her brother and a friend to set the man straight.

Its funny the little subtleties that make one photo priceless, and another merely good. Even if that “moment” was a lie. The camera doesn’t lie? Oh yes it does. Who knows, maybe a young woman looked at it as her contribution to the war effort. They knew the men had just been through 4 years of hell. Maybe they looked at a little overexuberance as a small price to pay for their efforts. This woman on the other hand looked at it as assault.