Alfred Eisenstaedt 1

The Graf Zeppelin, Framed Black and White Photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt

1934

Alfred Eisenstaedt became a professional photographer in 1929 when he was hired by the Associated Press office in his native Germany. As his family was Jewish, Nazi oppression forced them to emigrate to the United States in 1935. Eisenstaedt settled in New York and was hired in 1936 by Time Magazine founder, Henry Luce, as one of the four original staff photographers for his newly acquired Life magazine. Eisenstadt is undoubtedly one of America's preeminent photojournalists. By 1972, his last year at Life, he had photographed nearly 2500 stories and provided 90 images for the front cover! He subsequently went on to work for Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. In addition to Marilyn, Eisenstaedt photographed many celebrities and dignitaries during his career, including Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, The Clinton Family and an iconic series of portraits of Italian screen-legend, Sophia Loren. However, undoubtedly, his most famous photo was the indelible image of a sailor joyfully kissing a young woman in New York's Times Square on VJ Day, August 14th, 1945.