Alfred Eisenstaedts The Kiss

By: Grayson Collins and Shelbey Devine

The classic V-J Day in Times Square photograph was taken on August 14 of 1945 by
Alfred Eisenstaedt. It features an American sailor and a woman in a white dress sharing a
celebratory kiss after the victory over Japan in WWII. This image has become one of the worlds
most iconic photographs and speaks many untold stories. Although the picture tells many
different stories, it represents the time of excitement after the WWII victory over Japan and the
reconnection of loved ones, many that were waiting for the return of them overseas. This image
has become more than a historical photograph, more than a historical icon, but an icon of
American culture and love (even if falsely) altogether. Eisenstaedt couldnt have known how
impactful and iconic his photograph was going to be. This image today covers walls of college
dorms and bedrooms as posters, other wall decor, journal covers, and much more. Anyone can
go to Walmart/ Target right now, sixty-one years later, and have no problem finding a copy of
this image. There are three major figures that went into creating this iconic image. One would
be the photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt; and the two veterans pictured, George Mendonsa and
Greta Zimmer Friedman. An obvious detail of their life that must be emphasized would be their
military association (that would have brought them to this place, and their excitement that the
war was over that created this picture). If it hadnt been for their being a part of the military
and the war, this picture would not have happened. The joy of the announcement of the war
being over, along with the drunkenness of Mendonsa came together to create such an astonishing
and iconic photo. Someone looking at this picture for the first time, with no background
knowledge on this particular image would most likely think that these two individuals were in

love, they must be together, and perhaps celebrating a reunion

between the two of them. The actual details of the pictures
environment are much less romantic in reality. Photography
sometimes encourages this, and we will discuss that in our
work. This is one of still photographys flaws or
shortcomings a picture can say a thousand words, but to
what extent are those words an illusion? Much of the time the
words we draw from a photograph are the context we imagine
(or what we hope) to be true within that image. Our culture,
perhaps human nature in itself has us wanting to always see a
happy ending in every story. We watch so many movies and

and
Figure 1: The Kiss by Alfred
Eisenstaedt, 1945
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VJ_Day_in_Times_Square

are so constantly entertained that it makes it difficult for us to process that life is rarely that
picture-perfect movie scene that we are so used to within our culture.
The classic V-J Day in Times Square photograph, taken on August 14, 1945 by Alfred
Eisenstaedt, features an American sailor and a nurse in a white dress sharing a celebratory kiss
after the victory over Japan. This photo has been placed in newspapers, articles, the news, and
broadcasted everywhere. From Los Angeles Times to the Charlotte Sunday Observer this photo
has become world renowned, making it one of the symbols of the victory over the Japan
celebration.
The history of the photographed event itself is often misleading. When observing the
image, most think it captures a couple in love, and that they are celebrating that they can now
stay home in the US, get married, have children, and live the ever so anticipated happily ever
after. This is all automatically assumed when looking at the image. The reality of the photo is

much less romantic. The picture actually features a drunken sailor grabbing and kissing a
random nurse (whom he did not know) out of sheer joy that the war is over. It expresses a joy
and excitement that can be conveyed to any viewer. What joy one must feel to just grab a
stranger and kiss them! This image in itself represents celebration in American culture. In
modern times slang, one might see this image described as an example of the you only live
once, or better yet, carpe diem phrase that is so popular in todays American youth. There are
countless copies and reproductions of this image - made into posters, wall art, magazine covers,
and murals. This picture has become more of an American icon, rather than just a historical
image.
In relation to Wares text, we can understand how the brain processes certain patterns,
colors, and other photographic elements, such as shadowing. Because this image is based on
shadows and light, there are no distinguishable patterns, colors, or any other visual distinctions to
make the couple in the image stand out. There is some visual competition between the couple
that are kissing and the rest of the people that are walking in the street, but this image beautifully
and again, iconically draws all attention to the couple kissing. This aspect makes it especially
funny to learn that the woman smiling or laughing over the mans shoulder is actually his future
wife - not the one he was kissing. This can also be explained by the
detection field that Ware mentions in that small features cant be
detected by large brain pixels towards the edges of the image Ware
(37).
Alfred Eisenstaedt was born on December 6, 1898, in
Dirschau, West Prussia, that was then a territory of Germany, and
later known as Tczew, Poland. He was the older son of Joseph and

Figure 2: Eisenstaedt with the

famous Leica llla camera,
Source:
http://www.combatcamera.be/wp
content/uploads/2015/04/photog
rapher-alfred-eisenstaedt01.jpeg

Regina Schoen Eisenstaedt. His father owned a

department store and made an above-average living
for his family. His uncle gave him a camera for his
14th birthday, but Eisenstaedt quickly lost interest in
it. Eisenstaedt was on vacation in Czechoslovakia in
1927 when he snapped a picture of a woman playing
tennis. This was the first photograph he sold. Der
Weltspiegel, a German weekly, bought it for $3. "I

Figure 3: Charlotte Sunday Observer, 1945

Source: http://wd4eui.com/1945_Newspaper.html

thought. You can get paid for this? explained Eisenstaedt. That payment encouraged him to
spend more time taking pictures. This led him into a career of photography and a legacy that he
would leave on American historians and photography admirers, both. Now, finding the
placement of the image is a little tricky. The image has become so popular it has been mass
produced throughout America, but with some research we found the image and the original
negatives for the set of images are owned by Getty Images.

The Famous photo of the Time Square Kiss following the

victory over Japan was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt. Eisenstaedt used
the Leica llla with a 50mm F/2 lens. He used this camera until the end
of his life in 1995. The camera took the famous VJ Kiss along with
many other famous photos including a shot of President Bill Clinton
in 1993. This camera continues to be in wonderful shape and the

Figure 4:Eisenstaedt's Leica llla,

2013 Source:
http://leicarumors.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/04/AlfredEisenstaedt-Leica-camera-2.jpg

ability to take quality photos. The camera was set to be sold for $32,000, but actually ended up
selling for $150,000.
Figure 5: Negative of shots of Eisenstaedt's The Kiss, 1992, Source: John Loengard, Getty Images

The negative/ contact print of the V-J Day Kiss picture is currently owned by Getty
Images, and was previously owned by Time & Life Pictures, Pix Inc., and first Alfred
Eisenstaedt himself initially. The negative strip features the four shots taken of the kissing scene,
all varying a little in the couples position and the passing crowd around them. A 1988 copy of
the image was signed on the back by Mr. Eisenstaedt and stamped with copyright marks, this
copy sold for $31,000 at an auction.

For further reading on this material:

Getty Images VJ Kiss by Alfred Eisenstaedt,
Link: http://www.gettyimages.com/event/kiss-by-alfred-eisenstaedt-479192403#negative-imageof-his-iconic-vj-day-photo-visible-in-film-strip-of-picture-id53372723
Go Behind the Lens of That Famous V-J Day Kiss in Times Square by Eliza Berman
Link: http://time.com/3983663/v-j-day-kiss-times-square/

Work Cited
Deivn Coldewey. Today. Camera that shot famed 'V-J Day Kiss' photo up for
auctionhttp://www.today.com/tech/gadgets/camera-shot-famed-v-j-day-kiss-photo-auctionflna6C9548163
Hugo Guy, Becky Evans. Daily Mail. German-made camera used to take iconic Times Square
kiss picture at the end of Second World War sells for $150,000
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2332252/German-camera-used-iconic-Times-Squarekiss-picture-end-Second-World-War-sells-150-000.html
WD4eui. Newspapers Proclaiming the End of WWII http://wd4eui.com/1945_Newspaper.html
Getty Images. The Kiss By Alfred Esienstaedt http://www.gettyimages.com/event/kiss-byalfred-eisenstaedt-479192403?#negative-image-of-his-iconic-vj-day-photo-visible-in-film-stripof-picture-id53372723
The Editors of Encyclopedia - Britannica, Alfred Eisenstaedt - American photographer
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Eisenstaedt