The Kissing Sailor at Times Square

August 14, 1945: a day of victory and celebration for the Allied Nations as the Japanese declare their much-awaited unconditional surrender. After over half a decade of conflict, the announcement that signified the end of the devastating war gave a sense of relief, happiness, and triumph to America. On this day, hundreds of people took to the streets to celebrate the soldiers returning home, and honour the lives lost. Photographer Alfread Eisenstaedt documented moments of sheer joy and solace in Times Square through snapshots of the citizens of America united to celebrate VJ day. He captures an image of a sailor kissing a woman in Times Square, 'The Kissing Sailor' also known as 'The Kiss' which later became a cultural artifact and an iconic image of celebration at war’s resolution, having a resonating effect on youth of modern times, depicting the effects of war and the essentiality of peace and unity.

It was a victorious day for everyone in Times Square. Eisenstaedt was in the middle of taking photographs as he caught a glimpse of white at the corner of his eye. He turns around to find a man and woman passionately kissing. The photograph shows a man in a dark sailor's uniform and hat and a woman in a white dress kissing. The woman's right leg is slightly lifted while her left arm hangs behind her with her hand resting on the back of her thigh. The sailor is leaning over the woman, holding her at the waist with his right hand. The sailor's left arm holds the woman's head, and at the same time, shields her face from the photographers. It is quick to assume that by looking at this image, the two people kissing know each other. However, this is not the case, both of the individuals showcased in this photo did not know each other. This resembles the happiness that people must've felt at this moment. The woman being kissed was working at a nearby dental office when she heard that the war was ending. She walked right down to Times Square to see if the rumours were true. Suddenly, she was grabbed by the hips and was kissed on the lips by someone she had no connection with whatsoever. He was so happy he didn’t have to go back to war that he took it upon himself to kiss a stranger to show his gratitude and excitement. From there, Eisenstaedt took a photo of the kiss which then spiraled on it being an iconic photo for its symbolic statement and cultural remembrance of a joyous moment in American history.

During the 1960s, the photo became popular and more known for media gossip. This was only because the identities of the individuals in the photo were unknown. At the time, this photo was placed in a subject of scrutiny and popular media attention because of the sole fact that they were starving to know who was in this photo. The photo was then published in LIFE magazine which sparked its popularity. People loved how the photograph isn't staged, it's just showed how wholesome the event truly was. The image of “The Kiss” inevitably captures the utmost joy of V-J Day all in one image. People in Times Square reflected their overwhelming sense of relief and exhilaration, with huge emotions of bliss and rejoice and this image perfectly displays it.

The composition of this image is minimal but holds significance and meaning. The salience of this image is the two individuals kissing, they are centered on the photograph. Her white dress contrasts with his dark uniform and together they form a unified pillar amongst a busy street. The image captures both the subject and its setting. The background is blurred out, not in focus. You can see the buildings and the sky. The people in the background showing smiles sprawled across their faces. Just from looking at this picture without context, you could tell that it's giving off a picture of a good event. The photographer took this from an eye view shot making you feel as if you are in the moment, celebrating, looking at the triumph of two strangers kissing. The fact that this image is monochromatic juxtaposes with the idea that this day was very vibrant, joyful and colorful, meanwhile, this photo is in black and white. This also connects to the idea of war being an era of darkness but then later contrasts it with the V-J Day event. With the precise moment through a photograph, you can truly envision and truly be in the moment of such a spectacular event in history.

To me, this image makes such a symbolic statement and relevance to such a joyous moment in history. After the tragedies of war, seeing this in the media would’ve given people so much hope. This photo was known as “the photo that ended the war”. This picture truly interprets pure happiness and joy from the event. However, this photo now contradicts to modern times. Over time, the opinions on this photograph have changed due to societal changes. With the rise of the MeToo movement, feminists today believe that this photograph is vandalising the issue of consent and sees it as an example of assault making this photograph controversial to modern times. For me, I believe this image is simply a photograph from an iconic day in American history, a cultural artefact that helps people remember the event. But if I would witness an act like this regarding today's times, as a young female feminist, I would have a different view. Nonetheless, I believe that this image is just a reflection on the emotions felt during V-J day, giving historical significance. This is why I chose “The Kiss” from the event of V-J day in Times Square as an iconic image.

Photographer Alfread Eisenstaedt then lived a wondrous, normal life along with the individuals in the picture. The sailor in the picture, George Mendosa, didn’t see the picture 20 years after it was taken. Multiple men were thought to be the sailor, but Mendosa it the most well-known. This is because Mendosa’s date is photobombing the picture. Mendosa and his date were in Times Square to celebrate the festivity, and out of happiness, Mendosa grabbed what he thought was the closest nurse he could find to celebrate. He later than stated, “I saw what those nurses did that day and now back in Times Square the war ends, a few drinks, so I grabbed the nurse'. The story behind the picture makes it wholesome.