Le Baiser de l'Hotel de Ville

Two young lovers steal a kiss in the middle of a busy Paris street, completely lost in their own world while life rushes around them. This is "Le Baiser de l'Hotel de Ville," or "The Kiss by the Town Hall," one of the most famous photographs ever taken. Robert Doisneau captured it in 1950 for Life magazine, when the publication asked him to document romance in the French capital. The blurred passersby and the grand building in the background make the couple feel like the still center of a spinning city.

For decades, people believed Doisneau simply got lucky and snapped a spontaneous moment of real love. The truth came out in the 1990s during a court case, when he admitted the scene was staged with two actors he had spotted nearby. Some felt cheated by the reveal, but it hardly dented the image's charm. Doisneau was a master of street photography who loved finding warmth and humor in everyday Paris, and whether posed or not, this picture still captures something honest about young love and the romance of the city.