Photographer: Jean-Pierre Laffont

Title: "The Kiss"

Jean-Pierre Laffont: "The Kiss," Watkins Glen, New York, 1973

A young couple kisses as the chaos of the crowd swirls around them at a rock festival. On Saturday, July 28, 1973, the summer jam held at the Watkins Glen raceway drew the largest rock festival audience in American history with an estimated 600,000 fans. For Laffont, the image captures the feeling of optimism among America's youth as the Vietnam War was ending. A storm transformed the field into pools of mud, but the joy and love were palpable. The photograph was printed on the back cover of Life magazine.

Jean-Pierre Laffont (French, b. 1935)

Algerian-born French-American photographer Jean-Pierre Laffont has covered some of the most significant moments of his time including historic American social and political events like the riots against the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the nascent gay and lesbian liberation movements, and the Watergate scandal. He is a founding member of the U.S. office of Gamma Press Images. After co-founding the Sygma Photo agency with his wife Elaine in 1973, Laffont's work expanded to include coverage in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. He produced the first ever global photo essay on child labor between 1970 and 1980. The essay won Overseas Press Club and World Press awards. His photographs have been featured in major publications worldwide including Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, Paris Match, Le Figaro Magazine, Stern, Bunte, Epoca, The Sunday Times in London and Manchester.

Signed by photographer

Image size: 20 x 30 inches (portrait)

Approx. framed size: 28 x 38.5 inches