Photography

These guidelines for citing paintings, photographs, sculptures, and other works of art come from the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. Your instructor may have different guidelines for citing images. Consult your instructor or check your assignment to determine the format your instructor would like you to follow.

This is a quick citation resource offering general guidelines that will apply in many—but not all—cases. If you have a question about how to cite a particular item, contact your librarian or visit the Writing Center for support.

In general, major works of art mentioned or cited in text or notes should be italicized.

Titles of paintings, drawings, photographs, statues, and other works of art are italicized whether the titles are original, added by someone other than the artist, or translated.

A note or bibliography entry for paintings, photographs, sculptures, or other works of art should include:

• the artist’s name
• title of the work (in italics)
• date of creation or completion
• information about the medium
• the location of the work

For works consulted online, add a URL.

Notes examples:

Bibliography examples:

The abbreviation fig. may be used for figure, but table, map, plate, and other illustration forms are spelled out. The page number, if given, precedes the illustration number, with a comma between them.

Note example:

An exhibition catalog is often published as a book and is treated as such.

Bibliography example:

A brochure—the kind often available to visitors to an exhibition—may be treated similarly.