Theses and Dissertations Guide: Citing Images

This page will help you cite images. Be sure to keep track of the basic information needed for citing images:

• Creator name(s)

• Title of work

• Creation date

• Materials and dimensions

• Location of work (museum, repository, collection, et cetera)

If you found the image in a book or periodical, you will need to cite the book's or magazine's information.  See book and magazine examples on the libraries' Citing Sources guide.

If you found the image on the web or in an online database, you will need to include the database name and URL.

Your instructor may require you to use a specific style manual; consult the manual for the proper format of your citation.

• The Chicago Manual of Style
• MLA Handbook
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)
• A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations (Turabian)

Some examples:

Chicago Style bibliography citation, work of art:

Chihuly, Dale. Olive Macchia with Cadmium Yellow Lip Wrap. 1992. Blown glass and gold leaf, 19" high. Dayton Art Institute, Dayton.

Chicago Style bibliography citation, from an image database:

Monet, Claude. View of the Sea at Sunset. 1870-74. Pastel on paper, 6 x 15 3/4" (15.3 x 40 cm). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Artstor. https://library.artstor.org/#/asset/AMICO_BOSTON_103833759

MLA Style citation, work of art:

Chihuly, Dale. Olive Macchia with Cadmium Yellow Lip Wrap. 1992, Dayton Art Institute, Dayton.

MLA Style citation, from an image database:

Monet, Claude. View of the Sea at Sunset. 1870-74. Artstor, https://library.artstor.org/#/asset/AMICO_BOSTON_103833759

MLA Style citation, image found in book:

Louis, Morris. Saraband. 1959. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Art Since 1900. By Hal Foster, Rosalind Krauss, Yve-Alain Bois, and Benjamin H.D. Buchloh. New York : Thames & Hudson Inc., 2004. 440. Painting.

APA Style citation, work of art:

Chihuly, D. (1992). Olive macchia with cadmium lip wrap [Glasswork]. Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH, United States.

APA Style citation, from an image database:

Monet, C. (1870-74). View of the Sea at Sunset [Painting]. Retrieved from https://library.artstor.org/#/asset/AMICO_BOSTON_103833759

Turabian citation (in note), work of art:

1. Dale Chilhuly, Olive Macchia with Cadmium Lip Wrap, blown glass and gold leaf, 1992, Dayton Art Institute, Dayton.

Turabian citation (in note), from an image database:

1. Claude Monet, View of the Sea at Sunset (1870-1874). Artstor. JPEG file. www.artstor.org, image ID AMICO_BOSTON_103834117 (accessed 1 September 2009).