Panorama of Victory Day over Japan in Times Square. VEJ Day Virtual Tour in Times Square

V-J Day in Times Square is a photograph taken by Alfred Eisenstadt of American sailor Glenn McDuffie kissing nurse Edith Shane, dressed in a white dress, on V-J Day, August 14, 1945, in Times Square, New York. A week later, the photos were published in the pages of Life magazine, among many photos in a 12-page "Victory" section that captured victory celebrations across America. The front page of the two-page spread featured photographs of the three kisses from Washington, Kansas City, and Miami, with Eisenstadt's photograph taking up a full page opposite. The kiss was a favorite pose for media photographers during the war, but Eisenstadt photographed the spontaneous event that took place in Times Square when President Truman announced the end of the war with Japan. After receiving the news of the victory, jubilation broke out everywhere. Officially, the holiday does not fall on August 14, but on the day of the official signing of the surrender on September 2 (in Japan it is celebrated as Memorial Day). The photo is known under various names - "Victory Day over Japan in Times Square" (V-J Day in Times Square), "Victory Day" (V-Day) and "The Kiss" (The Kiss).

background

Alfred Eisenstadt began to get involved in photography at the age of 14, when his parents gave him his first Kodak camera. With the outbreak of World War I, the Prussian-born Eisenstadt was drafted into the German army and became an artilleryman. Having been wounded in the war and returning to civilian life, he did not forget his childhood hobby, but did not even think of making it his profession. In 1927, he managed to sell his first photograph. And already in the early 1930s, Eisenstadt became famous for photographs that today are considered classics of journalism: it was he who captured the first meeting of Hitler and Mussolini in 1934 and in 1933 took a picture of Goebbels, with a look full of hatred. In 1935, Eisenstadt emigrated to the United States. He went to work for Life magazine. He worked with a Rolleiflex medium format camera that allowed him to photograph people without drawing attention. However, Eisenshtedt took his most famous photograph openly, without hiding from anyone.

Circumstances

On August 14, 1945, Japan accepted the terms of surrender. The news of this quickly spread throughout the United States: a huge number of people took to the streets, and Life photojournalist Alfred Eisenstadt, who was in New York that day, rushed with his 35mm Leica camera to film the celebration. That day he was in Times Square filming many, but one young sailor immediately caught his attention. As Eisenstadt later recalled: He managed to take four photographs. During the kiss, Eisenshtedt managed to slightly change the settings of his camera: according to him, the frames were taken on Kodak Super Double X film with a shutter speed of 1/125 second at an aperture between 5.6 and 8. However, only one photograph from this series turned out to be the most successful, and he gave it ...

The Kiss photo, in which a sailor kisses a nurse, has spread all over the world. The picture became a symbol of the long-awaited peace and love. On March 9, 2014, the subject of the photo, Glenn McDuffie, passed away.

Glenn McDuffie was 18 when World War II ended. On the day when it became known about the complete surrender of Japan in World War II (August 14, 1945), Glenn arrived at Times Square. When he got off the subway, a young nurse ran up to him and congratulated him on the end of the war. The young sailor, intoxicated with joy, grabbed the nurse and kissed her. They parted ways, not even recognizing each other's names. The moment of the kiss was photographed by the famous photographer Alfred Eisenstadt, and he subsequently sold the photograph to Life magazine.

Glenn McDuffie lived a long life, he was 86 years old. He was born in Annapolis, North Carolina and moved to Houston in 1960.
Despite the fact that the photo became very famous, it did not bring fame to Glenn himself. Even vice versa. He had to work hard for the public and the same nurse to admit that it was he who was depicted in the photo.

He wanted to prove it while he was alive

However, 62 years after that kiss, a Houston forensic pathologist determined that the sailor pictured was US Navy veteran Glenn McDuffie. As Glenn's daughter admits, it became the meaning of life for her father to prove his involvement in the picture.

To prove his case, Glenn, along with a forensic doctor, took about 100 pictures in which Glenn is dressed in a naval uniform and stands in that position, only kissing a pillow. Digital technology made it possible to take measurements of the bones of the face and hands, and this was the proof that Glenn was the same sailor. This post was published in 2007. Glenn's perseverance is to be envied, because in fact, all his life he lived with the desire to receive recognition.
“He wanted to prove it while he was alive,” his daughter says.
Edith Shane never gave her comments to reporters about the truth of Glenn McDuffie's statements. And in 2010 she passed away.

This picture of a sailor kissing a nurse was taken by American photographer Alfred Eisenstadt in New York on August 14, 1945. The photo became incredibly popular as one of the symbols of victory in World War II. This happened in Time Square after US President Truman announced the end of the war with Japan. A nurse named Edith Shane, hearing the message on the radio, ran out into the street and was picked up by sailor Glenn McDuffie, who happened to be nearby. They kissed, accidentally hit the camera lens, and fled in different directions. They hit first in Life magazine, and then forever in history.

Subsequently, many claimed that they were depicted in the photograph, which became one of the symbols of the end of World War II. These people cannot be called impostors, because in those days not only the well-known sailor and the nurse kissed in the street. Only in 2007, with the help of a police forensic artist, it was established that it was a sailor with the name Glenn McDuffie that was captured in the photograph.

In addition to the numerous photographs that had to be taken for subsequent comparative analysis, Glenn underwent ten polygraph tests. The whole complex of actions of the forensic specialist left no doubt that it was he in the photograph.

Edith Shane, a nurse who gets kissed, responded to an article published by a magazine in the early 80s. It said that a search was underway for those who were depicted in the photograph. She met with the photographer, and received from him a famous photograph as a gift, and, according to the photographer, he was not completely sure that Shane was not an impostor. One way or another, she began to bear the title - the girl from the photograph.

In 2008, Edith Shane, as a guest of honor, was invited to the musical "South Pacific", which was first staged on Broadway in 1949. She became a welcome guest there. She was happy to take pictures with actors and everyone.

The photo is called by different names. All names, one way or another, are associated with the word "kiss", but the photo has a completely official name, and a very ambiguous one. "Unconditional surrender"- that is how it is correct to call this photographic work, which later became also a sculpture. All participants in the story in the period from 2010 to 2014 left this world. For the 60th anniversary of the Victory in the United States, a sculptor named Seward Johnson sculpted just such a statue with the plot of the famous photograph. For some time, the sculpture was located in the United States, and recently it was installed on the waterfront of the Italian city of Civitavecchia.

Sculpture "Unconditional surrender" ("Unconditional surrender") It is also very popular in the USA - there it was distributed to cities and villages in the form of copies and author's repetitions. This monument, for example, is installed in the city of San Diego (California).

And this is how the sculptural group looks from the aircraft carrier Midway. In the background is the famous San Diego Bay Bridge leading to the Coronado Peninsula.

Greta Zimmer Friedman has died at the age of 92. PHOTO

American Greta Zimmer Friedman, captured in the famous Times Square Kiss photo, has died at the age of 93.

In Virginia, at the age of 92, the famous American Greta Zimmer Friedman died (Greta Zimmer Friedman) - one of the defendants in the world-famous picture "Kiss in Times Square".

This kiss has become a symbol of "World Kissing Day", which is celebrated on July 6th. It is also considered "the kiss of all times and peoples."

The photo captured the kiss of sailor George Mendoza and nurse Greta Zimmer Friedman. It was made on August 14, 1945 - the day of the victory over Japan.

Her son told reporters about Friedman's death. He reported that Friedman died of pneumonia on 8 September.

The Times Square Kiss was taken by photographer Alfred Eisentstadt. He took up a whole page of Life magazine, where photos dedicated to the victory were published. Other names for the image include VE Day over Japan in Times Square, VE Day, and The Kiss.

The picture is not staged: Eisentstadt photographed a real kiss.

There was jubilation in Times Square that day as President Truman announced victory over Japan. The photographer later said that he followed the sailor, who kissed almost all the women in a row. Eisentstadt began to shoot when the sailor kissed the nurse: he was attracted by the combination of black and white.

The kiss was long. Almost like in the competitions that are now held during the celebration of World Kissing Day. The photographer recalled that while the sailor was kissing the nurse, he managed to change both shutter speed and camera aperture. In total, Eisenstadt managed to take 4 pictures, one of which he chose for the magazine.

Interestingly, the same kissing couple was shot by another photographer - Victor Jorgensen (Victor Jorgensen). But his picture did not become so famous.

In 1945, Greta Zimmer Friedman was 25 years old.

Greta Zimmer Friedman, 1945

One of the eleven (!) available contenders for the role of a dashing sailor - George Mendoza (George Mendonza) even sued the magazine - they say, they published a photo without his permission. He did not win the case, but many believed that it was he who kissed Greta.

George Mendoza, 1945

True, a study was recently conducted that cast doubt on the fact that it was Mendoza who was captured in the historical image. Mendoza has repeatedly claimed to have kissed a familiar nurse at around 2 p.m. Scientists have determined that the picture was taken much later. Initially, this was indicated by the clock placed in the huge letter "O" of the sign of the Bond Clothing Stores clothing store. It is impossible to determine the exact time from the picture - the clock did not appear clearly. Nevertheless, it is clear that they show "ten minutes to" - either ten minutes to five, or ten minutes to six, or ten minutes to seven. But not ten minutes to two.

Another well-known contender for the role of the sailor from the Kiss in Times Square photo was Glenn McDuffie, who passed away on March 9, 2014.

We add that in Times Square there is an 8-meter statue that repeats the plot of the world-famous picture.

In the US state of Virginia, Greta Friedman died, who claimed that she was the same nurse from the famous photo “Kiss in Times Square”, taken on the square on Victory Day over Japan. It is reported by The New York Times.

Friedman died on Thursday, September 8, in a hospital in Richmond at the age of 92, reports Fox News. According to the son of the late Joshua Friedman, recently his mother suffered from a number of diseases, including pneumonia. The woman will be buried next to her husband at Arlington Cemetery in Washington, according to Reuters.

"The Kiss in Times Square", also known as "V-J Day in Times Square", "V-Day" (V-Day) and "The Kiss" or "The Sailor Kissing the Nurse" is a famous photograph taken by Alfred Eisenstadt on August 14, 1945 in New York, when he was filming a cheering crowd celebrating end of World War II. The author himself called this photo "Unconditional Surrender".
But who exactly is depicted in the photo remains an unexplained mystery until the end ...
That day, the photographer was in Times Square, where he took pictures of many, but one young sailor immediately caught his attention. As Eisenstadt later recalled:
“He ran all over the street, grabbed all the women he saw - it didn’t matter if they were old, portly or slender. I ran in front of him with my Leica, turning around and trying to take a picture, but I didn’t like any of them. And then, suddenly - like a flash - I saw that he grabbed something white. I turned and pressed the button just as he kissed the nurse. If she was wearing something dark, I would never have photographed them. The same thing - if he had a light uniform, there would be no picture.

He managed to take four photographs. During the kiss, Eisenshtedt managed to slightly change the settings of his camera: according to him, the frames were taken on Kodak Super Double X film with a shutter speed of 1/125 second at an aperture between 5.6 and 8. However, only one photo from this series turned out to be the most successful, and he gave it to the magazine.
A week later, the pictures were published in the pages of Life magazine. The photograph has become one of the most recognizable photographic images of the 20th century and one of the symbols of the Allied victory over the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis regimes.
Here is a random photo that went down in history.

Due to the turmoil that reigned in Times Square that day, Eisenstaedt did not even have time to ask the young people for their names. This allowed three women - Greta Friedman, Barbara Sokol and Edith Shane - to claim ownership of the image. Several World War II veterans claimed to be the sailor in the photo, including: George Mendoza, Carl Muscarello and Glenn McDuffie.

Glenn McDuffie and Edith Shane

Greta Friedman was born on June 5, 1924 in Wiener Neustadt, a small town in Austria outside of Vienna. She was one of four daughters of Max Zimmer, a clothing store owner, and Ida Zimmer.
As conditions worsened for Jews in Nazi-occupied Austria, Greta's parents sent their children out of the country. Greta and her two sisters came to the United States in 1939, while another sister went to Palestine, then a British colony. Zimmer's parents were killed during the Holocaust, but they managed to save their daughters.
So young Greta ended up in New York. She was working in a dentist's office on August 14, which is why she was wearing a white nurse's outfit, as she recalled in an interview.
In 1956, Greta Zimmer married Dr. Misha E. Friedman, a scientist working for the defense of the United States. They had a son, Joshua, and a daughter, Mara, in Frederick, Maryland. Ms. Friedman received an art degree from Hood College in 1981 and had a studio in Frederick where she painted and screen printed. In addition to children, Greta had a sister, Bella Hoffman, and two grandchildren.
Greta Friedman died on September 8, 2016.

Alfred Eisenstadt

June 20, 2010 at home in Los Angeles at the age of 91. She is survived by three children, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Edith Shane

On March 9, 2014, Glenn McDuffie died in a Texas nursing home at the age of 86. The cause of his death was not given, but in recent years he lived in a trailer and was seriously ill (in 2007 it was reported that he had lung cancer). He left a daughter.

Glenn McDuffie

But whoever the sailor and the girl were who kissed in Times Square on August 14, 1945, they left a photograph that became a symbol of the end of the war and the victory of life over death.

In 2005, Life magazine placed the photo again on the cover of one of the issues. In 2007, a colored sculpture reproducing the photograph appeared in Times Square in honor of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, however, the city authorities decided not to permanently install the sculpture. On August 13, a 26-foot (about 8 m) statue of a kiss between a sailor and a nurse was unveiled in Times Square in honor of the 65th anniversary of the US victory over Japan.
Every year on August 14, hundreds of couples gather near the statue to create a photo reconstruction. At the appointed time, the couples begin to kiss at the same time - and many of the girls are dressed in short white dresses, and the men in sailor suits.
In memory of those young and happy guys and girls who once went crazy with joy that the world war was over, August 14, 1945 in Times Square...