I'm a hopeless romantic though ;)
I'm a hopeless romantic though ;)
Most of these photos were staged!
There's been quite a bit of mystery over who the sailor and nurse were and I recall reading a story about a "Times Square Kiss Event" held last year.
Here's an interesting piece about it:
"V-J Day Sailor and Nurse" Carl Muscarello and Edith Shain Attend 60th Anniversary Celebration
Edith Shain with the sculpture "Unconditional Surrender" on 8/11/05
Edith Shain, the nurse who partricipated the legendary liplock portrayed in the sculpture and famous photograph, was on-hand for the "kiss-in" on August 14th, 2005.
Although Edith has travelled the world, appeared on numerous television shows, served as grand marshal of parades, and graced the cover and pages of LIFE Magazine countless times as part of the most famous picture of the 20th century, this event marked her first return to Times Square.
Born in New York City in 1918, Edith was a nurse at Doctor's Hospital and a student at NYU in 1945 when she got off the subway in Times Square with a friend to celebrate the end of WWII and was randomly kissed by a sailor. LIFE Magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt confirmed her identity and befriended her some 20 years later.
Edith was reunited with former sailor and retired NYPD detective Carl Muscarello, believed to be the young sailor who kissed her in Times Square of that famous day.
The first twenty couples that came in uniform received special gifts courtesy of the History Channel, including t-shirts, hats and DVDs. The first two hundred couples to attend received sailor's caps or roses to enhance the authenticity of their photo.