WWII Kiss

I can't believe I've never posted about this picture. The famous WWII Kiss photograph, taken during the Times Square celebration after Japan's surrender to the Allies, is so completely brimming with emotion, energy, and enthusiasm that it can only make me smile when I look at it.

Location: New York, NY, US
Date taken: August 14, 1945
Photographer: Alfred Eisenstaedt

These were just two random, ordinary people who came out to celebrate a victory. I find it an even sweeter image knowing that the act was unplanned and just a thrill of the moment type of action. LIFE Magazine attempted to locate the kissing pair about 20 years after the photo was taken. Multiple people claimed to be the sailor or nurse, but nobody (not even the photographer) was truly sure who the people were. One woman, Edith Shain, wrote a letter to LIFE claiming to be the woman in the photo, and she has been the favoured candidate over the years.

Here is a short interview with Miss Shain from BBC News in 2008: