This photograph, taken by Navy photographer Victor Jorgensen, shows a sailor kissing a woman in New York City’s Times Square on “V-J Day” – Victory over Japan Day: August 14, 1945, the day Japan surrendered to end World War II. Jorgensen titled it “Kissing the War Goodbye” and it was published in The New York Times. It shows the same scene as a similar (copyrighted) photograph, “V-J Day in Times Square,” taken by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, that was published in Life magazine.
"Kissing the War Goodbye"
- 8/14/1945
Description
This primary source comes from the General Records of the Department of the Navy.
National Archives Identifier: 520697
Full Citation: Photograph 80-G-377094; New York City celebrating the surrender of Japan. They threw anything and kissed anybody in Times Square.; 8/14/1945; General Photographic File of the Department of Navy, 1943 – 1958; General Records of the Department of the Navy, Record Group 80; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/kissing-war-goodbye/, April 29, 2026]
Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
