Alfred Eisenstaedt
VJ Day in Times Square, New York City

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Artist Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, born Germany, 1898–1995)American, born Germany, 1898–1995

CultureAmerican

Titles

VJ Day in Times Square, New York City

Date1945, printed 1979

PlaceNew York City, New York, United States

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 12 1/2 × 9 in. (31.8 × 22.9 cm)
Sheet: 13 15/16 × 10 15/16 in. (35.4 × 27.8 cm)

Credit LineGift of George Lange, Inc. - Cameras

Object number80.90

Not on view

Explore Further

Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionOn August 14, 1945, moments after Japan’s surrender was announced to end World War II, Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisensteadt photographed a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square in New York City. Two weeks later, Life published it with other photographs of similar celebrations that day. Eisensteadt had noticed the sailor kissing every woman he encountered, but waited until the sailor grabbed the nurse because her white uniform against his dark suit gave the picture the visual as well as emotional impact that he sought. The scene is periodically reenacted in Times Square with hundreds of participants, and dozens of sailors and nurses have identified themselves as Eisensteadt’s subjects, some with more plausibility than others. In 2013, the book The Kissing Sailor claimed to have irrefutably determined the identities of the actual pair.
ProvenanceGeorge Lange, Inc., Houston; given to MFAH, 1980.
Exhibition History"New York: Yesterday and Tomorrow," Shell and the American Landscape Museum, Houston, May 8–September 12, 2002.

"From the Printed Page: Photographs from the Manfred Heiting Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, January 23–June 5, 2006.

“Made for Magazines: Iconic 20th-Century Photographs,” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 9–May 4, 2014.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Inscribed in black ink, recto, lower left below image: 2/50
Signed in black ink, recto, lower right below image: Eisenstaedt
Stamped in black with black ink inscriptions, verso, lower left: TIME INC. // Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt 1945 // Title: V-J Day in Times Square // New York City // Printed 1979
Stamped in black ink, verso, lower left: © Alfred Eisenstaedt [with rectangular border]

Signed in black ink, recto, lower right below image: Eisenstaedt

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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