How to Cite images

Take Note

Taking note of the following elements as you find things will help when it comes time to finish your citations! (Citation examples below.)

Artist’s name
Title of Work

Date
Medium
Institution (or collection) that owns the work

Location of institution - city, state (if in the United States), and country
Image source information (Link and database/website if online / Publication information (title, author, page number, etc.) if print)
Image type (print or digital)

Pro-Tips

Higher quality images and citation information is often available through an institution’s digital collection online (rather than Google Images)
Using ArtStor can make finding and citing high quality images easier

Example Citations (Scroll Down)

Take Note

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige
Title: A Red Plum Branch against the Summer Moon
Date: 1840–1850
Medium: Color woodblock print
Dimensions: 23.6 x 31.5 cm (8 7/8 x 12 in.)
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Location of Institution: Chicago, IL, United States
Image source:
Online source: Art Institute of Chicago.
Link: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/47686/a-red-plum-branch-against-the-summer-moon
Image type: Digital

MLA - 8th Ed.

For this style: Double-spaced and hanging indent in the works cited page. Images used in the paper are considered Figures in MLA (formatting information is available through the Purdue Online Writing Lab’s MLA Tables, Figures, and Examples page).

Digital Image:
Last, First. Title. Dates, Medium-optional, Institution, Location. Digital Image Source*, Link.

*Digital Image Source does not have to be repeated if it is the same as the Institution name (as is the case with our example).

Print Image:
Last, First. Title. Dates, Medium-optional, Institution, Location. Title of Image Source, Edition, by Author First Last, Publisher, Page.

Example:
Hiroshige, Utagawa. A Red Plum Branch against the Summer Moon. 1840-50, Art Institute of Chicago. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/47686/a-red-plum-branch-against-the-summer-moon. Digital.

APA - 7th Ed.

For this style: Double-spaced and hanging indent in the references page. Images used in the paper are considered Figures in APA (formatting information is available under section 7 in the 7th Edition), and more artwork citation examples can be found under section 10.14.

Last, First Initial. (Dates). Title [Medium]. Institution, Institution City, Institution State, Institution Country. Link.

Example:
Hioshige, U. (1840-50). A Red Plum Branch against the Summer Moon [Color woodblock print]. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/47686/a-red-plum-branch-against-the-summer-moon.

Chicago - 17th Ed.

For this style: Bibliography uses single-spaced (with blank space between each citation) and hanging indent. Images used in the paper are considered Illustrations in Chicago (formatting information is available under section 3 in the 17th Edition).

Note Citations:
First Last, Title, Date, Medium, height × width × depth (unit conversion), Institution, City, Country, Link.

Example:
Utagawa Hiroshige, A Red Plum Branch against the Summer Moon, 1840-50, 23.6 cm x 31.5 cm (8 ⅞ in x 12 in), Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, United States, https://www.artic.edu/artworks/47686/a-red-plum-branch-against-the-summer-moon.

Bibliography Citations:
Last, First. Title. Date. Medium, height × width × depth (unit conversion). Institution, City, Country. Link.

Example:
Hiroshige, Utagawa. A Red Plum Branch against the Summer Moon. 1840-50, 23.6 cm x 31.5 cm (8 ⅞ in x 12 in). Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, United States. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/47686/a-red-plum-branch-against-the-summer-moon.

More advice on citing images in Chicago style can be found here.