Kiss Me

World War Two inspired a lot of noteworthy kisses of couples sadly saying goodbye or happily being reunited again. The ones that have become the most famous however--are the “Victory Kisses” that celebrated the end of the war. The most well-known of these images is called "The Sailor and the Nurse", but its proper title is "V-J Day, Times Square, New York City, 1945". Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt recalls: "There were thousands of people milling about, in the streets and everywhere. Everybody was kissing each other...And there was also a Navy man running, grabbing anybody, you know, kissing. I ran ahead of him because I had Leica cameras around my neck focused from ten feet to infinity. You only had to shoot...I didn't even know what was going on, until {he} grabbed something in white. And I stood there, and they kissed. And I snapped five times." This frame of snapshots was captivating—three of the five shots in it were notable but one was perfect. This photograph expressed the exultation, relief, and optimism of a post-war world. The iconic image did not make the cover of Life in 1945, instead it ran small inside. The photograph’s fame grew slowly over the years its notoriety intensified as people began to recognize that it captured a remarkable moment in history.

(images: Alfred Eisenstaedt, Life Magazine, Greatest Generation Tumblr, http://wwiiarchives.net/servlet/gallery/0 , Overpaid, Oversexed, and Over Here, Corbis)