Last week I reported the story of Glenn McDuffie, the Houston man who was recently identified as the sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square in the celebrated 1945 Life magazine photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt. The picture seen and recognized by millions, is an historical moment captured by a photographer's lens, marking the end of World War II.
Upon being identified, McDuffie, who had served in the US Navy during WWII, described what the day was like when he went into Times Square with a couple of his buddies and later bussed the nurse in celebration.
On Aug. 14, 1945, he was in Times Square when the word came.
"When I got off from the subway, a lady told me the war was over, and I went into the street yelling. I saw the nurse and she was smiling at me, so I just grabbed her," McDuffie said. "But we never spoke." .....
In addition, Gibson (the forensic artis who identified McDuffy) said she "always wondered" about one aspect of the Eisenstaedt image: Why was the sailor's arm crooked in such an odd way? Only McDuffie could provide the answer, she said.
"I was kissing her, and then I heard someone running up. So, I realized there was someone taking our picture. I moved my hand so that the nurse's face would show," McDuffie said.
Hmm. So, they never spoke (not even a "Thank you Ma'am!) and McDuffy positioned his arm so the nurse's face would show in the picture? Certainly looks like he was showboating and there was a certain amount of calculation in the pose which is widely interpreted as a spontaneous celebration. Also it appears that the nurse in the photo was not McDuffy's first target of affectionate display - he was on a kissing spree that day. He had gone around Times Square grabbing and kissing several women before the memorable photographic moment. Also, it is reported that the nurse SLAPPED HIM after they disengaged from the embrace. Does explain why they never talked. [Link: Namit Arora]
(The link at the end of the post opens to a page of Images That (supposedly) Changed the World. The page is a bit iffy - the images are sometimes visible and sometimes not. Click to find out if you can see them. The picture of the Kiss in Times Square is called V-J Day, Times Square, [1945] .It is halfway down the page.)
On the same page I came across a portrait of Winston Churchill taken by photographer Yousuf Karsh. The portrait reminded me of an ancient pen and pencil sketch of Churchill I had made ages ago. I am posting both portraits below for your critical viewing.
My good friend Mary Lee knows this nurse!!
Posted by: swapna | August 08, 2007 at 04:50 PM
An interesting point about the manipulation of this image -- but perhaps a photographic example of the adage "trust the tale, not the teller." In other words, it became iconic in part because it fit what the nation returning from war wanted to think of itself. It reminds me too of the Clint Eastwood movie about the guys who were in the famous Iwo Jima statue and ended up suffering from alcoholism and "survivor's guilt." For that matter, think of Marilyn Monroe -- I guess it's better to gaze admiringly on an icon than to be one!
Posted by: Andrew Rosenblum | August 09, 2007 at 12:00 AM