Edith Shain may not have a recognizable name, but you’ve almost definitely seen her- she’s the nurse in the famous V-J day photo of a soldier kissing a nurse in Times Square.
Alfred Einsentaedt photographed the candid moment, where Shain said she was grabbed by a passing serviceman for the impromptu liplock . Shain said of the incident:
“I went from hospital to Times Square that day because the war was over, and where else does a New Yorker go?
“And this guy grabbed me and we kissed, and then I turned one way and he turned the other.”
Shain was working at Doctor’s Hospital in New York at the time. Her identity remained unknown until she wrote Einsentaedt in the late 70s and fessed up. Shain passed away at the age of 91 in California on Sunday. Her son, Justin Decker, issued a statement after her death which read in part:
“My mom was always willing take on new challenges and caring for the World War II veterans energized her to take another chance to make a difference.”