Photography
V–J day in Times Square -- Alfred Eisenstaedt's most famous photograph
After more than 62 years, it would appear that Glenn McDuffie, an 80-year old
Navy veteran, has been firmly identified as the kissing Sailor photographed on
Aug. 14, 1945, kissing a nurse on Times Square. The famous photo was published
in Life magazine, and then all over the world, and the controversy over who the
Sailor was has continued to this day.
Finally Lois Gibson of the Houston Police Department, a respected forensic
artist, claims to have solved the mystery, after an investigation of the famous
photo. She confirms that in her opinion, it was Mr. McDuffie doing the kissing.
Mr. McDuffie, who is fighting lung cancer, said "I couldn't be happier - this
means everything to me, I thought I would die before I ever got anything done
about it. That was my biggest fear."
She (Lois Gibson) compared the pictures using digital imaging techniques and
precise measurements of the bone structure, including Mr McDuffie's forehead,
ears, wrists, knuckles and arms. "I am positive it's Glenn. What I do is
usually a matter of life or death, so I don't mess around when I identify
someone," she told the Houston Chronicle.
So, the mystery seems to have been sort of solved for now, we'll see.
Source: A kiss is just a kiss . . . but this famous
one was mine
Photo by
Alfred Eisenstaedt, taken on V-J Day, 1945 (from
Life Magazine).
Fair use here, as this is Alfred Eisenstaedt's most famous image