For sale: Signed print of Eisenstaedt’s “Kiss in Times Square” and the Leica that shot it
posted Friday, April 19, 2013 at 7:30 PM EDT
One of the most famous photographs of all time and the camera that captured it could both be yours -- at what is likely to be a considerable price. An original signed print of Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous 1945 V-J Day celebration shot known as "Kiss in Times Square," will go up for auction on May 24th, and the Leica IIIa rangefinder he used to take it with be auctioned off the next day.
Both auctions will take place in Vienna, Austria as part of the WestLicht Photographica Auction. The signed photo is estimated to sell for as much as USD$23,500 and the camera could fetch up to USD$32,780, according to WestLicht.
Eisenstaedt continued to use the same Leica IIIa for 50 years after he captured his iconic photo in Times Square, including a final portrait session with President Bill Clinton and his family, two years before the photographer died.
The Times Square photo was first published in Life magazine in August 27, 1945 and came to symbolize the end of World War II. Contrary to popular belief, the image did not appear on the cover of Life but was part of a multi-page spread inside, titled "Victory Celebrations."
More info and images of Eisenstaedt's Leica at the WestLicht auction site.
(Via Amateur Photographer)