3 Famous Kissing Photographs and the Surprising Truth Behind Them

It's February (at the time of writing) and I thought I'd write a piece about famous kissing photographs to celebrate the 'month of love'. However, when I started researching the photos for this piece, I found some surprising and interesting backstories. These stories seemed far too important to skip, so they became the focus of this Valentine's Day blog.

Vancouver Riots Kissing Couple, 2011

Vancouver Riots Kissing Couple

In 2011, after the Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, the streets of Vancouver broke out in a violent riot. It was during the chaos that the photograph of the kissing couple above was taken.

At first glance, this famous kissing photograph seems to tell the story of a couple so deeply involved in a romantic moment that they are unaware of the violence surrounding them. However, in reality, this is an oversimplified description of the circumstances surrounding the moment this photograph was captured.

The couple, Scott Jones and Alex Thomas, were violently pushed over by a line of riot police. The police shoved the couple with plastic shields and the two fell to the floor. Scott states that he leant over to kiss Alex to comfort her as she was distressed (as anyone would be) after landing on the ground.

Canadian photographer Richard Lam, captured the moment where Scott kissed Alex and the photograph went viral in the coming days. Initially it was hailed as an extremely romantic moment captured on camera. It wasn't until other footage of the riot was released that the public saw the circumstances leading up to this moment.

A happy ending to the story is that 10 years after the photograph was taken, the couple were still together. Scott and Alex are married, have a child, and are living in Australia. They keep a signed and framed copy of the photograph in their home to remind them of their moment in the spotlight.

The Kissing Sailor, 1945

The Kissing Sailor

The Kissing Sailor has been used in the media as a symbol of the joy felt at the end of the Second World War. The viewer likely believes that this couple, after hearing the news that the war was over, were so gleefully happy that they celebrated the moment with a romantic kiss. Perhaps with dreams of how they could continue their lives in a more normal way now that the war had ended.

The reality behind this famous kissing photograph is, unfortunately, not quite as pleasant.

Greta Zimmer, the young woman in the photograph, worked as a dental assistant during the war. Her uniform very closely resembled that of a nurse. Her offices were located close to Times Square. On August 14th, 1945, she heard the news that Japan had surrendered and the war was over. This felt “too good to be true” so during her lunchbreak, Greta went down to Times Square to see for herself.

While wandering around the crowded square, she was grabbed from behind and kissed by a sailor, Petty Officer First Class George Mendonsa. In a 2012 interview, Greta stated that “I did not see him approaching, and before I know it I was in this vice grip…It wasn't my choice to be kissed. The guy just came over and grabbed. That man was very strong. I wasn't kissing him. He was kissing me”.

The moment was captured by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt and published in Life Magazine one week later in a section titled “Victory Celebrations” The photograph soon became a cultural icon. The same moment was also captured by U.S. Navy photojournalist Victor Jorgensen. Jorgensen's image (below) is titled “Kissing the War Goodbye” and was published the following day in the New York Times.

Kissing the War Goodbye

In a booked titled From The Eye of Eisenstaedt, while speaking about this photograph, Eisenstaedt commented that “I was walking through the crowds on V-J Day, looking for pictures. I noticed a sailor coming my way. He was grabbing every female he could find and kissing them all — young girls and old ladies alike.

Then I noticed the nurse, standing in that enormous crowd. I focused on her, and just as I'd hoped, the sailor came along, grabbed the nurse, and bent down to kiss her. Now if this girl hadn't been a nurse, if she'd been dressed in dark clothes, I wouldn't have had a picture. The contrast between her white dress and the sailor's dark uniform gives the photograph its extra impact”.

The Kiss by Hotel de Ville, 1950

The Kiss by Hotel de Ville

This famous kissing photograph, unlike the previous two, doesn't have darker circumstances surrounding it - rather, this one deals with a questionable choice on the part of the photographer.

The Kiss by Hotel de Ville was taken in 1950 by Robert Doisneau who was a well-known street photographer at the time. This iconic photograph captures a blissfully romantic moment where a young man stands on a busy street, pulls his girlfriend in and kisses her passionately in front of the City Hall in Paris. The movement in the photograph makes the viewer feel as though time has stopped. The city bustles past as the couple freeze in a moment where only the two exist in their embrace. The reality is somewhat different.

Doisneau was commissioned by Life Magazine to photograph couples kissing around Paris. The publication was looking for images that helped to capture love after the Second World War. This photograph was part of that work. The photo got little attention until the 1980s when it was used by poster companies to create postcards and calendars. This iconic photograph stood as a representation of eternal love and represented Paris as the city where it can be experienced.

The controversy surrounding the picture is that it was not a candid shot (as street photography usually is) but rather it was staged by models. The photographer admitted this 30-years after taking the shot. During the 80s, a couple, Jean and Denise Lavergne, thought they recognized themselves in the famous image and tried to sue Doisneau. This resulted in him admitting that the people in his now world-famous photograph, were in fact models posing for the shot.

Apparently, Robert had seen a similar scene and wanted to recreate it as part of his commissioned work for the magazine. Perhaps the worst part of this story is that once he released the information that he had used models, the models themselves also tried to sue him, but failed. Doisneau often preferred to use models for staged photographs as France had already protected image rights by law and he wanted to avoid legal issues (irony can be harsh). The law suits from The Kiss came towards the end of the photographer's life and were a massive cause of distress for him in his final years.

Photographs can change the world

Photographs and photography have the incredible power to transform how we see and interpret events and the world. This is a beautiful thing however, especially in the times we live in, where any content can be manipulated, it's important to understand that this “magic power” exists. Sadly, we can't trust everything we see to be an accurate and real representation of the circumstances surrounding an event. A great sense of responsibility lies with photographers to truthfully and accurately tell the stories of those they capture.

More information

For more information on the stories surrounding these 3 famous kissing photographs, follow the links below.

Vancouver Riot, kissing couple - CBC News interview with Scott and Alex

Sailors Kiss - An interview with Greta Friedman

The Kiss - About Photography, The Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville by Robert Doisneau

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Written by Katya Mulvaney | Katya is a brand creation and digital marketing specialist. She heads up marketing and communication here at LightRocket. If you subscribe to our emailer or follow us on social media, then you're probably already familiar with some of her work. She also never shies away from a good plate of pasta.

Cover image by Fariz Hermawan

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