Skip to Main Content

Finding Images

Citing Images

Images must be cited like all other resources. If you use an image you did not create, you must provide a citation. Images should be cited in all cases, even if the image is very small, or in the public domain. The citation should be accessible in the context of the image's use (within a Powerpoint presentation, on a web page, in a paper, etc.).

Image citations should include the following information at a minimum:

  • Title
  • Creator name
  • Repository information (museum, library, or other owning institution)
  • Image source (database, website, book, postcard, vendor, etc.)
  • Date accessed

It is also useful to include date, culture, and rights information, if known.

Citations can be formatted according to the citation style you are using.

Image Citation Examples

Artwork in a Database (e.g. JSTOR)

Footnote:

1. Creator's First Name Last Name, Title of Image, Date of Creation, Other relevant information such as size or medium [if known], Name of Specialized Database or Online Image Library, accessed Access Date, URL.

Bibliography Entry:

Creator'sLast Name, First Name. Title of Image,  Date of Creation, Other relevant information such as size or medium [if known], Name of Specialized Database or Online Image Library. Accessed Access Date. URL.

Footnote Example

1. Elizabeth Montizambert, Marjorie Howard Futcher Standing with Dog, 1900, black and white photograph, 9.4 x 11.6 cm, The Marjorie Howard Futcher Photo Collection, McGill University, accessed May 21, 2021,  https://digital.library.mcgill.ca/futcher/large/FUT1_002-001_P.jpg.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Montizambert, Marjorie Howard Futcher.
Bibliography Entry Example

Montizambert, Elizabeth. Marjorie Howard Futcher Standing with Dog, 1900, black and white photograph, 9.4 x 11.6 cm, The Marjorie Howard Futcher Photo Collection, McGill University. Accessed May 21, 2021.  https://digital.library.mcgill.ca/futcher/large/FUT1_002-001_P.jpg.

Artwork from a Museum/Gallery

Footnote:

1. Creator's First Name Last Name, Title of Artwork, Date of Creation, Other relevant information such as size or medium [if known], Name of Museum or Gallery Where Artwork is Located, accessed Access Date, URL.

Bibliography Entry:

Creator's Last Name, First Name. Title of Artwork, Date of Creation, Other relevant information such as size or medium [if known], Name of Museum or Gallery Where Artwork is Located. Accessed Access Date. URL.

Footnote Example

1. Filippo Lippi, Portrait of a Woman with a Man at a Casement, ca. 1440, tempera on wood, 64.1 x 41.9 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed May 21, 2021, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436896?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=Fra+Filippo+Lippi&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=1.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Lippi, Portrait of Woman.
Bibliography Entry Example

Filippo Lippi, Portrait of a Woman with a Man at a Casement, ca. 1440, tempera on wood, 64.1 x 41.9 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed May 21, 2021. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436896?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=Fra+Filippo+Lippi&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=1.

Artwork from Online

Footnote:

1. Creator's First Name Last Name, Title of Artwork, Date of Creation, Other relevant information such as size or medium [if known], Location of Artwork, accessed Access Date, URL.

Bibliography Entry:

Creator's Last Name, First Name. Title of Artwork, Date of Creation, Other relevant information such as size or medium [if known], Location of Artwork. Accessed Access Date. URL.

Footnote Example

1. Leonardo Da Vinci, Last Supper, 1498, Santa Maria della Grazie, Milan, accessed May 15, 2021, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/a/leonardo-last-supper.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Da Vinci, Last Supper. 
Bibliography Entry Example

Da Vinci, Leonardo. Last Supper, 1498, Santa Maria della Grazie, Milan. Accessed May 15, 2021. www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/a/leonardo-last-supper.

Template

Author (Year). Title of image [Photograph]. Website. http://xxxxx

Example

Science in HD. (n.d.). Living large [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/te465W47_b8

(Science in HD, n.d.)

Source: Clip Art or Stock Image References [APA Style]

Basic Image Format:

Citation:

Artist's Last Name, First. "Title of digital image."  Date, Website, Publisher or Sponsoring Organization, URL (no https://).

Example:

Warner, Mike. "Monet's Garden." 6 Oct. 2017, Flickr, flic.kr/p/ZsF6q1.

Image Without Author:

Citation:

“Title of the digital image.” Date, Website, Publisher, URL (no https://).

Example:

"Orange grove - Clewiston, Florida." 1920, Florida Memory,  www.floridamemory.com/items/show/138653

Image With No Author, Title, or Date

Citation:

Image description. Title of the website, URL (no https://).

Example:

Photograph of person washing hands. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/

Copyright

Remember!

Digital images are electronic resources that need to be used responsibly. Most databases and websites (including open access) provide information about how their images can and cannot be used. It is important to read this information carefully, and comply with all usage guidelines. Usage guidelines can vary considerably, so be alert to differences and details.