The lady in the iconic kissing photo which marked the end of World War II has died. Greta Friedman was kissed by a sailor in New York’s Times Square in one of the most famous pictures of the 20th century.
Greta Friedman was 21 years old on August 14, 1945. After reporting to work at a dentist’s office, she heard the news: Japan had surrendered, and World War II was coming to an end.
She wandered into Times Square when a passing sailor locked her in an unexpected embrace. The sailor, later identified as George Mendonsa.
The photo, taken by legendary photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, was published in Life magazine a few weeks later. But the identities of the two people were a mystery.
It wasn’t until 1980 when both Friedman and George Mendonsa, the sailor in the photo, were determined to be the couple in the photo.
Several critics of the photograph say the sailor had grabbed Friedman without her consent, and violated her agency.
Problematic or not, the kiss between the two strangers has been immortalised through ‘VJ Day in Times Square’.
