The nurse in the iconic World War II kiss.

The woman who was embraced and kissed by a U.S. Navy sailor in the famous photograph says the moment was not romantic at all.

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

The photograph published in Life magazine captured a moment of jubilation in America on Victory Day (VJ), marking the end of World War II. Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt used a Leica camera with a 35mm lens to take the picture and published it two weeks later.

Greta Friedman, the woman identified as the nurse in the famous "VJ Day in Times Square" photograph, died at the age of 92 on September 8th. It is one of the most iconic photographs of World War II. The photo, taken on August 14, 1945, shows Friedman, in her nurse's uniform, being pinned down and kissed by a sailor in Times Square. Friedman was actually an assistant to a dentist.

The sailor in the photo is believed to be George Mendonsa, who was on leave after two years of service with the U.S. 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 the news and under the influence of alcohol, when I saw the nurse, I hugged her."

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

In 2012, in their book titled "The Sailor's Kiss: The Mystery Behind the Photograph Marking the End of World War II," authors Lawrence Verria and George Galdorisi claimed to have verified details proving Friedman and Mendonsa were indeed the "nurse" and sailor in the famous photograph.

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

That kiss wasn't romantic at all, 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 scrolled: VJ Day!, VJ Day!" Friedman recounted.

"Suddenly, a sailor embraced me. It wasn't like a kiss. It was more of an act of joy because he wouldn't have to return to the Pacific. The reason he hugged the nurse was because he was grateful to the nurses who cared for 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 was sent to Palestine. The Zimmers are believed to have perished in the Nazi genocide.

Friedman arrived in New York in 1956 and married Mischa Friedman, a scientist working for the U.S. Army. Later, the family moved to Maryland. Having studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, she designed doll clothing for the children's toy industry. In 1981, she earned an art degree from Hood University in Frederick, Maryland. She also painted and worked on book restoration.

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

In a book published in 1985, photographer Eisenstaedt explained that the bright white of Greta Friedman's nurse's uniform, contrasting with the dark sailor's uniform, was what inspired him to take the photograph. "If she had been wearing a darker outfit, I certainly wouldn't have taken this picture," Eisenstaedt asserted.

According to VNE