| Basic Items for Citation | |
|---|---|
| Creator's Name | This is the name of the artist, photographer, etc. |
| Title of the Artwork (as given) | Use the listed title. |
| Location of the Artwork (Museum, Library, etc) | Location and name of museum would be involved. Consider the Jundt Museum is in Spokane, Washington as an example. |
|
Date |
This can include several different dates. The date of creation, the date it was posted online, along with the date you accessed the work. |
| Database Collection (if known) | For example, if you accessed an artwork in JSTOR or Grove Art Online, you would need to credit the database as well. |
| Rights Information (if known) | If you know the Creative Commons license for attribution or copyright holder, do list that information. |
Section 14.235-37 in the Style Guide walks through detailed instructions on the specifics needed to cite varying styles of art.
nclude the artist’s name, title of work (italicized), date, medium, measurements, and the institution which houses the work.
Include the source the image came from, preceded by a statement which declares the source (for example “In;” or “Source:” or “Available from:”). If the source is online, include the URL and the date accessed.
Image from a Book:
Alice Neel, Nancy and the Rubber Plant. 1975, Oil on canvas, 203.2 x 91.3 cm. The Estate of Alice Neel. From: Ann Temkin et al. Alice Neel. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000. Plate 64.
Image from Museum Website:
Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi). The Musicians. Ca. 1595. Oil on canvas, 36 1/4 x 46 5/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. From: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org (accessed June 19, 2019).
Image from Flickr Commons:
Thomas Eakins, William Rudolf O’Donovan. 1981, Black and while photographic print, 6 x 8 cm. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Available from: Flickr Commons, http:// https://www.flickr.com/photos/smithsonian/2547841439 (accessed June 19, 2019)
Image from Flickr (personal images uploaded by individuals)
Friedrich von Schmidt, Vienna Rathaus. 1872-1883. Source: -keka-, Rathaus, Vienna. 2014. Digital Image. Available from: Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/88975201@N05/13891404251 (accessed June 19, 2019)
The MLA Handbook has a whole section on interpreting Visual Art here.
Below are examples in MLA style citations by type.
Image reproduced from a printed source
Artist’s last name, first name. Title of art work, in italics. Date of art work. Medium. Institution where art work is housed (if known), city where housed if not already named. Title of printed source, in italics. By Author of printed source. Place of publication: publisher, date. Page or plate/figure/slide number. Print.
Rousseau, Henri. The Ship in the Storm. 1896. Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris. Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris. By Claire Fresches, et al. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 2006. 232. Print.
Image from an electronic source:
Artist's last name, first name. Title of Art Work in Italics. Date of art work. Institution where art work is housed (if known), City where art work is housed (if not already named). Database or website name. Web. Day month year accessed.
Image found on the open Web
Citation includes: Artist. Title of Work. Date of Work. Museum or Collection, City. Database/Web Site. Date Accessed. URL (optional).
Backhuyzen, Ludolf. A Battle at Sea. 1692. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA. The Getty. Web. 18 June 2019. www.getty.edu
Image from a Library Database
If known, the collection which owns the image should be included, along with its location.
De Chirico, Giorgio. Soothsayer’s Recompense. 1913. Philadelphia (PA) Museum of Art. Grove Art Online. Web. 18 June 2019.
Work of Art viewed in person at a Museum
Citation includes: Artist. Title of Work. Date of Work. Medium of Composition. Museum, City where Museum is located.
Atget, Jean-Eugène-Auguste. Boulevard de Strasbourg (Corsets). 1912. Photograph. Art Institute of Chicago.
Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Oil on Canvas. Museo del Prado, Madrid.
Below are examples in APA style citations by type.
Images from a electronic source
Author (Role of Author). (Year image was created). Title of work [Type of work], Retrieved from URL (address of website)
Kulbis, M. (Photographer). (2006). Men pray [Photograph], Retrieved from http://accuweather.ap.org/cgi-bin/aplaunch.pl
Note: If you can only find the screen name of an author (such as a photographer on Flickr), that will do as the author's name.
If the screen name is all lowercase, keep the name lowercase in the in-text citation and the references list.
Images from a electronic source (No Author, No Title, No Date)
Many images found on the Web are of this category, but you should still look for this missing information: try clicking on the image, and/or looking at the bottom of the image.
[Format and subject of work]. Retrieved from URL (address of website)
[Untitled photograph of a baby chimpanzee]. Retrieved from http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jdtr/struc/chimp3.htm
Much of the content in this page uses content or was adapted from parts of the MIT Libraries Finding Images guide using a CC-BY-NC 4.0 license.