The Decades-Long Mystery and the Controversy Behind the V-J Day Photo
Alfred Eisenstaedt had not gotten the names of his subjects, and for decades, their anonymity was part of the photograph’s universal appeal. They could be anyone—any soldier, any nurse, any couple reunited by peace. However, as the photo’s fame grew, so did the public’s curiosity. In the 1970s and 1980s, Life magazine made several attempts to solve the mystery, putting out calls for the sailor and nurse to come forward. Dozens of people claimed to be one of the two figures.
The two most credible and persistent claimants were George Mendonsa and Greta Zimmer Friedman. However, their claims were contested by others, and for a long time, there was no definitive proof. The breakthrough came from a combination of investigative journalism and forensic analysis. Researchers studied every detail of the photograph—the sailor’s tattoos, the shape of his hands, the woman’s hairline and attire. They compared these details with personal photographs provided by the claimants from that era.
In the case of George Mendonsa, a crucial piece of evidence was the woman smiling in the background: his future wife, Rita Petry. She confirmed their date at Radio City Music Hall and their presence in Times Square. Forensic anthropologists from Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories even created 3D facial scans to compare Mendonsa’s features with those of the sailor, concluding a positive match. Similarly, Friedman’s height, hairstyle, and uniform were deemed consistent with the woman in the picture. By the 2000s, a strong consensus had formed among historians and photographic experts that Mendonsa and Friedman were indeed the pair in Eisenstaedt’s iconic image.
However, as society’s understanding of consent has evolved, so has the interpretation of the photograph. The controversy behind the V-J Day photo centers on the fact that this was not a romantic kiss between lovers, but a non-consensual act between strangers. Friedman herself described her shock and lack of choice in the matter. In a 2005 interview, she said, “Suddenly, I was grabbed by a sailor. It wasn’t that much of a kiss. It was more of a jubilant act that he didn’t have to go back. I found out later he was so happy that he did not have to go back to the Pacific where they had already been through the war.”
This modern re-evaluation recasts the image from a symbol of romantic celebration to a more complicated one of male exuberance and a violation of a woman’s bodily autonomy. Critics argue that celebrating the photo without acknowledging this context glorifies an act that would today be considered a form of public assault. This debate highlights how the meaning of historical artifacts can change as cultural norms shift, forcing us to view even our most cherished symbols with a more critical eye. The behind the scenes story is far more complex than the simple joy the image seems to portray.
