It may be the most famous romantic moment of the 20th Century, and it certainly became an iconic symbol of the United States celebration of the end of World War II. “V-J Day in Times Square” is a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt that portrays a U.S. Navy sailor grabbing and kissing a stranger—a woman in a white dress—on Victory over Japan Day ("V-J Day") in New York City's Times Square on August 14, 1945.

The photograph was published a week later in Life magazine, among many photographs of celebrations around the United States that were presented in a twelve-page section titled "Victory Celebrations". A two-page spread faces three other kissing poses among celebrators in Washington, D.C.; Kansas City; and Miami opposite Eisenstaedt's, which was given a full-page display. Kissing was a favorite pose encouraged by media photographers of service personnel during the war, but Eisenstaedt was photographing a spontaneous event that occurred in Times Square soon before the announcement of the end of the war with Japan was made by U.S. President Harry S. Truman at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

Because he was photographing rapidly changing events during the celebrations, Eisenstaedt did not have an opportunity to get the names and details. The photograph does not clearly show the face of either person involved, and numerous people have claimed to be the subjects. The photograph was shot just south of 45th Street looking north from a location where Broadway and Seventh Avenue converge.

Lawrence Verria and George Galdorisi, authors of The Kissing Sailor, a 2012 book about the identity of the couple, used interviews of claimants, expert photo analysis, identification of people in the background and consultations with forensic anthropologists and facial recognition specialists. They concluded that the woman was Greta Zimmer Friedman and that she was wearing her dental hygienist uniform in the photograph.

George Mendonsa was identified by a team of volunteers from the Naval War College in August 2005 as "the kisser". His claim was based on matching his scars and tattoos to scars and tattoos in the photograph.

Presented is a framed display of the black and white photo, signed by both Mendonsa and Friedman in black marker in the lower right corner of the photo beside their image. The 3½ x 5-inch photo is encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (83537270) and is graded Authentic. The dual-signed photo is mounted within a black paper matte with white borders. To the right of the photo is a “United States of America Department of the Navy” color patch.  Below the patch is a silver metal plaque with “V-J Day in Time (sic) Square August 14, 1945” etched in black. The display is encased in a 14 ½ x 17-inch black plastic frame. 

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