Edith Shain was the anonymous nurse photographed being kissed in Times Square, New York, celebrating the end of the Second World War in 1945. On Sunday last, she died, aged 91.

The iconic VJ Day picture by Alfred Eisenstaedt was published in Life magazine, but the identity of the nurse in the photograph was not known until the late 1970s when Shain wrote to Eisenstaedt to say that she was the woman in the picture. It was taken on 14 August 1945 when she had been working at Doctor’s Hospital in New York.

The identity of the sailor who kissed her is still unknown.

The photograph made its mark on Shain’s life, as her subsequent celebrity led to invitations to war-related events including wreath layings, parades and other memorial ceremonies. Her son Justin Decker said in a statement: “My mom was always willing take on new challenges, and caring for the World War 2 veterans energised her to take another chance to make a difference.”

Shain, who died at her home in Los Angeles on Sunday, leaves three sons, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Rest In Peace