Alfred Eisenstaedt

The Profile

Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898–1995) was a German‑born American photographer, known for his work for Life magazine and for the V-J Day in Times Square photograph.

Worked extensively for Life magazine; photographed the celebrated V-J Day in Times Square image (1945); was Jewish, born in Germany and later lived in the United States; used Leica cameras; died in 1995.

A detailed appreciative review of Alfred Eisenstaedt's V-J Day in Times Square, contextualizing the photograph at the end of World War II. The review describes Eisenstaedt's use of his Leica, his background as a German Jewish refugee, and the image's visual contrasts. It also recounts decades-long controversies over the identities of the subjects and claims of staging.