Identifying the Kissing Sailor

The Japanese surrender in World War II occurred on August 14, 1945. On that afternoon, photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt took to the streets of New York City to capture the country’s jubilation. He shot the iconic V-J Day in Times Square scene that appeared in Life Magazine and forever became a favorite snapshot of victory. The woman has been identified, but who was the sailor that landed the kiss? In 2007, Lois Gibson used her decades of forensics experience to pinpoint the sailor to Houstonian Glenn McDuffie. She will share how her forensic work proved the man’s identity in the memorable end-of-war photo.

Lois Gibson is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as The World’s Most Successful Forensic Artist. After surviving a near-death attack at the hands of a murderous felon, Lois became motivated to create the forensic artist job at the Houston Police Department where she has helped bring in over 1,266 criminals. She has appeared on TV shows and in publications such as ABC’s 20/20, Dateline NBC, CBS Early show, People Magazine, Reader’s Digest and many more. Her textbook Forensic Art Essentials can be found online, as well as her true-crime book Faces of Evil.