In the thick of Times Square, on the day Japan surrendered, a sailor kissed a young woman, leaning into her so that her back gracefully arched and her right knee bent. The photograph of this, which is so widely known and liked, seems to capture his lust for life. She seems to be holding on for dear life.

Alfred Eisenstaedt’s immortal image, “V-J Day, 1945, Times Square,” snapped on Aug. 14, 1945, made its first appearance in the Aug. 27 issue of Life magazine. The accompanying caption omitted names: “In the middle of New York’s Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers.” The young woman appeared to be wearing a nurse’s uniform, but she was not identified by that profession or any other.