Nurse in iconic World War II kiss

The woman pictured being kissed by a US Navy sailor in a famous photo says the moment was far from romantic.

Photo "VJ Day in Times Square". Photo: Life

The photo published in Life magazine captured the jubilant moment in America on Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) and the end of World War II. Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt used a Leica camera with a 35mm lens to take the photo and published it half a month later.

Greta Friedman, the woman identified as the nurse in the famous “VJ Day in Times Square” photo, died on September 8 at the age of 92. It is one of the most iconic photos of World War II. The photo was taken on August 14, 1945, when Friedman, dressed in a nurse’s uniform, was held down and kissed by a sailor in Times Square. Friedman was actually a dentist’s assistant.

The sailor in the photo is believed to be George Mendonsa, who was on leave after two years of service with the US Navy in the Pacific. He was drinking with his girlfriend as thousands of people flocked to Times Square to celebrate.

"I saw this nurse appear. The war was over. Excited by this news and drunk, when I saw the nurse, I hugged her."

Greta Friedman did not see the photo until the 1960s. Although her face was obscured by the sailor's left arm, Friedman immediately recognized her hair and clothing. Eisenstaedt did not include a name, so many others have claimed to be the person in the photo, most notably a kindergarten teacher named Edith Shain, who died in 2010.

In 2012, in the book "Sailor's Kiss: The Mystery Behind the Photo That Marked the End of World War II", the two authors Lawrence Verria and George Galdorisi asserted that they had verified details proving that Friedman and Mendonsa were the "nurse" and sailor in the famous photo.

Friedman was just 21 years old at the time. She worked at a dental office and was on her lunch break when the photo was taken.

The kiss was not romantic, Friedman said in a 2005 interview for the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project. "I went straight to Times Square, where I saw a sign that said VJ Day!, VJ Day!" Friedman recalled.

"Suddenly, a sailor hugged me. It wasn't like a kiss. It was more of an act of joy because he wasn't going to have to go back to the Pacific. The reason he hugged the person in the nurse's uniform was because he was grateful for the nurses who were taking care of the wounded soldiers," Friedman explained.

Mrs. Friedman in her old age. Photo: Telegraph

Friedman (née Greta Zimmer) was born on June 5, 1924, in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. As World War II was about to break out, Friedman's parents, Max Zimmer and Ida Zimmer, sent her and two sisters to the United States, while another sister was sent to Palestine. The Zimmers are believed to have died in the Nazi Holocaust.

Friedman came to New York in 1956 and married Mischa Friedman, a scientist working for the U.S. Army. The family later moved to Maryland. After studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, she designed doll clothes for the toy industry. In 1981, she received a degree in art from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. She also painted and worked as a book restorer.

Speaking about her fame, she said: "The credit goes to the photographer. He created a work of art. I just happened to be there."

In a 1985 book, Eisenstaedt explained that the bright white of Greta Friedman's nurse's uniform, contrasting with the dark color of the sailors' clothes, was what inspired him to take the photo. "If she had been wearing a dark outfit, I certainly would not have taken this picture," Eisenstaedt asserted.

According to VNE