Citing Images
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Documenting sources for images can be challenging, especially with the variety of new electronic resources now available. Many different style manuals exist. Listed below are several writing style manuals that may be consulted along with examples. Always ask your class instructor for the style appropriate for the course.

The basic information you will need:

Name of artist

Title of the work

Date it was created

Repository, museum, or owner of the artwork

City or country of origin

Dimensions of the work

Material or medium such as oil on canvas, marble, found objects

* If you found the image in a book you will need the author, title, publisher information, date, and page, figure, or plate number of the reproduction

* If you found the image online you will need an access date, the web site address (URL), and, in some cases, an image ID number.

Citation Styles

MLA

Turabian

APA

Chicago Manual of Style

MLA handbook for writers of research papers, used in literature, arts, and humanities.

DAAP Reference: LB2369 .G53

Turabian: A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations / Kate L. Turabian, used in all fields

DAAP Reserves LB2369 .T8

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, used in the fields of psychology and education

DAAP Stacks and Reference: BF76.7 .P83

Chicago Manual of Style, used in publishing as well as many other fields
DAAP Reference Z253 .U69 2003

MLA Citation Format

Cite the artist's name, title, usually underlined, and the institution or individual who owns the work, and the city. If you want to indicate the work's date, include it after the title. For a work of art you viewed online, end your citation with your date of access and the URL.

Work of art:

For a bibliography:

Duveneck, Frank. Whistling Boy. 1872. Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati.

Pei, I.M. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cleveland.

For a note:

²Mark Rothko, Number 22, 1969, Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Work of art from a website:

For a bibliography:

Duveneck, Frank. Whistling Boy. 1872. Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati. Accessed 7 Feb. 2008.

<http://cincinnatiartmuseum.stores.yahoo.net/frduwhboy.html>

For a note:

⁴Frank Duveneck, Whistling Boy, 1872, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, 7 Feb.2008

<http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.stores.yahoo.net/frduwhboy.html>.

Work of art found in an image database:

For a bibliography:

Botticelli, Sandro. Birth of Venus. c. 1482. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. ARTstor. 3 Jan. 2008, <http://www. artsor.org>.

For a note:

⁴Frank O.Gehry, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 1999-2003. 16 Feb. 2007 <http://www. artsor.org>.

Work of art found in a book:

For a bibliography:

Duveneck, Frank. Whistling Boy. 1872. Cincinnati Art Museum. Unsuspected Genius : the Art and Life of Frank Duveneck. By Robert Neuhaus.San Francisco :

Bedford Press, 1987. 227.

For a note:

³Frank Duveneck, Whistling Boy, 1872, Cincinnati Art Museum, Unsuspected Genius : the Art and Life of Frank Duveneck, by Robert Neuhaus (San Francisco :

Bedford Press, 1987) 227.

Personal Photograph:

Louvre Museum, Paris. Personal photograph by author. 7 Mar. 2005.

Slide in the Library:

Gogh, Vincent van. The Starry Night. 1889. Museum of Modern Art, New York. Visual Resources Center. Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning Library, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati.

Map or Chart:

For a bibliography:

Ohio. Map. Chicago: Rand, 2004.

For a note:

¹Ohio, map (Chicago: Rand, 2004)

Turabian-style Citation Format

Cite the artist's name, title in italics, the medium and support, the date, and the institution or individual who owns the work, the city, and, if needed for clarification, the state.If the location is unknown use, “whereabouts unknown” in parentheses. As a general rule cite images only in notes.

Work of art:

For a note:

¹Frank Duveneck, Whistling Boy, oil on canvas, 1872, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati.

Work of art found in an image database:

For a work of art you viewed online, after the title enter the format type in brackets; use parentheses for the title of database, followed by date of access, URL, image ID or other unique number:

¹Frank Duveneck, 1872. Whistling Boy. [database on-line] (ARTstor, accessed 14 September 2005) ; available www.artstor.org, image ID ARTSTOR_103_4182200090872

Format for a bibliography:

It is not common practice to cite images in a bibliography but if a professor requests a citation in the bibliography use the following format:

Duveneck, Frank, Whistling Boy, oil on canvas, 1872, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati.

Duveneck, Frank, 1872. Whistling Boy. Database on-line. ARTstor. http://www.artstor.org. Accessed 14 September 2007.

From a Web site:

Duveneck, Frank. Whistling Boy. 1872. Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati. Accessed 7 Feb. 2008. <http://cincinnatiartmuseum.stores.yahoo.net/frduwhboy.html>

Credits:

Providing a source for the images you use is helpful to your readers.

Permission must be granted to reproduce work of art under copyright restrictions. Author, title, then page number, plate number, or figure number, copyright date, and copyright owner.

Reprinted, by permission, from John Rewald, Post-Impressionism: From van Gogh to Gauguin, p. 443. © 1978 by The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Indicate when using a personal photograph:

Photograph by the author

Photography commissioned by the writer:

Photograph by Mary Smith

Photograph without restrictions:

For an image without copyright restrictions use the word "courtesy" in the credit

Photograph courtesy of Delta Airlines

APA

Artist (last name, first name), artist’s role (in parentheses i.e. Artist, Architect), title, the work type, in brackets [Painting, Cathedral, Chair], country of origin or city, and state, and repository.

Duveneck, Frank (Artist). (1872). Whistling boy [Painting]. Cincinnati, Ohio; Cincinnati Art Museum.

Duveneck, Frank (Artist). (1872). Whistling boy [Image of painting]. Cincinnati, Ohio; Cincinnati Art Museum. Retrieved February 13, 2008, from http://www.artstor.org

From a Web site:

Duveneck, Frank (Artist). (1872). Whistling boy [Image of painting]. Cincinnati, Ohio; Cincinnati Art Museum. Retrieved February 13, 2008, from http://cincinnatiartmuseum.stores.yahoo.net/frduwhboy.html

Chicago

In the humanities citations are provided in footnotes and endnotes along with a bibliography. Images can be citied using captions or in a bibliography. Check with your instructor for the correct manner.

Format for caption:

Label all images with figure or fig. followed by arabic numerals.

Artist's name (first name then last), title (italicized), medium and support, measurements, repository, and city.

Format for bibliography:

Artist's name (last name, first name), title, usually italicized, the date, the medium and support, repository, and city.

Work of art:

Format for caption:

Frank Duveneck, Whistling Boy, 1872. Oil on canvas, 28 x 21 1/2 in. Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati.

Format for a bibliography:

Matisse, Henri. The Woman with the Hat, 1905. Oil on canvas, 81.3 x 60.3 cm. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Work of art online:

Sullivan, Louis H. The Security Bank, 1907. Owatonna, Minnesota. http://www.artstor.org/ (accessed August 12, 2007).

Frank Duveneck, Whistling Boy, 1872. Oil on canvas, 28 x 21 1/2 in. Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati. http://cincinnatiartmuseum.stores.yahoo.net/frduwhboy.html (accessed August 12, 2007).

Slide in the library:

Gris, Juan. Newspaper and Fruit Dish. University of Cincinnati, OH: Visual Resources Center, 2005, slides.

Credits:

Reproduced by permission from Jan Newstrom Thompson, Duveneck : Lost Paintings Found (Santa Clara, CA: Triton Museum of Art, 1987), 5

For an image without copyright restrictions use the word "courtesy" in the credit

Man and boy fishing in the Ohio River, September 14, 1929. Courtesy of Rosemary Bart.

Photography courtesy of Cincinnati Art Museum

For an image under copyright restrictions:

Permission must be granted to reproduce work of art under copyright restrictions. Author, title, publication details, copyright date, and then page number, plate number, or figure number. Once permission has been granted, use the following format.

Reproduced by permission of the publisher from Duveneck : Lost Paintings Found, (Santa Clara, CA: Triton Museum of Art, 1987), 55, © 1987 by Triton Museum of Art.

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Citing Images
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Citation Styles

MLA Citation Format

Work of art:

Work of art from a website:

Work of art found in an image database:

Work of art found in a book:

Personal Photograph:

Slide in the Library:

Map or Chart:

Turabian-style Citation Format

Work of art:

Work of art found in an image database:

Format for a bibliography:

From a Web site:

Credits:

Indicate when using a personal photograph:

Photography commissioned by the writer:

Photograph without restrictions:

APA

From a Web site:

Chicago

Format for caption:

Format for bibliography:

Work of art:

Work of art online:

Slide in the library:

Credits:

For an image under copyright restrictions:

QuickLinks

Search

Citing Images Print version of this document (PDF)

Citation Styles

MLA Citation Format

Work of art:

Work of art from a website:

Work of art found in an image database:

Work of art found in a book:

Personal Photograph:

Slide in the Library:

Map or Chart:

Turabian-style Citation Format

Work of art:

Work of art found in an image database:

Format for a bibliography:

From a Web site:

Credits:

Indicate when using a personal photograph:

Photography commissioned by the writer:

Photograph without restrictions:

APA

From a Web site:

Chicago

Format for caption:

Format for bibliography:

Work of art:

Work of art online:

Slide in the library:

Credits:

For an image under copyright restrictions:

Citing Images
Print version of this document (PDF)