Kissing the War Goodbye
Victor Jorgensen, 1945
About this work
Kissing the War Goodbye is a photograph taken by U.S. Navy photojournalist Victor Jorgensen in Times Square, New York, on August 14, 1945, as crowds celebrated the news of Japan's surrender at the end of the Second World War. It shows a sailor kissing a woman in a white dress amid the crowd. It is another view of the same scene that Alfred Eisenstaedt photographed in V-J Day in Times Square; his picture shows less of the square in the background, so the location has to be identified from other details. It was published in The New York Times the next day. Eisenstaedt's photograph was copyrighted and its reproduction tightly controlled; Jorgensen's, made by a Navy photographer in the course of his duties, is a work of the U.S. federal government. The National Archives holds it as 80-G-377094, with the original caption: "New York City celebrating the surrender of Japan. They threw anything and kissed anybody in Times Square."
Sources: Wikipedia · Wikimedia Commons
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 2,912 × 3,000 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 19 × 20 in
- Sizes
- Small (19 × 20 in) · $100 · 150 ppi
Medium (23 × 24 in) · $150 · 125 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Kissing the War Goodbye?
Here. Kissing the War Goodbye is available as a framed print in two sizes: Small (19 × 20 in) for $100 and Medium (23 × 24 in) for $150. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Kissing the War Goodbye?
The file is 2,912 × 3,000 px. Small (19 × 20 in) is the largest size that prints at 150 ppi or more (150 ppi), the sharpest choice for close viewing; Medium (23 × 24 in) prints at 125 ppi, fine from a few feet away but softer up close.
Is it legal to print Kissing the War Goodbye?
Yes. Victor Jorgensen took the photograph as a U.S. Navy photographer in the course of his duties, which makes it a work of the U.S. federal government and in the public domain. Alfred Eisenstaedt's better-known picture of the same scene is a different photograph and is still protected by copyright.
