How do I cite an image in Chicago Style?
Answer
To cite an image in Chicago, identify the key elements needed:
- Creator (If there is no creator name available, leave it off and start with the title.)
- Title of Image (can be the official title of a work of art, name of the image online, name of the file if downloaded. If there isn’t a title, create a descriptive title and place it in brackets.)
- Date Created
- Medium (painting, photograph, etc.)
- Dimensions (for artwork only)
- Source for image (museum where piece is housed (include location of museum), publication where it appears (page number of publication should also be included), website it came from)
- URL (if online)
Image from a website:
Footnote:
1. Creator Name, Title of Image, Date Created, Medium, Dimensions, Source, URL.
1. Cecil W. Stoughton, President Kennedy, portrait photo, 1963, photograph, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKWHP/1963/Month%2007/Day%2011/JFKWHP-1963-07-11-D.
Bibliography:
Creator Last Name, Creator First Name. Title of Image. Date Created. Medium, Dimensions. Source. URL.
Stoughton, Cecil. President Kennedy, portrait photo. 1963. photograph. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKWHP/1963/Month%2007/Day%2011/JFKWHP-1963-07-11-D.
Image from a book, magazine, journal, etc.,
Footnote:
1. Creator Name, Title of Image, Date Created, Medium, Dimensions, Source, page number, date of source, URL.
1. Adams, Ansel, Geology Field Trip in Joshua National Monument, ca 1966, The Chronicle of Higher Education, B7, June 12, 1991, https://www.proquest.com/docview/214663320?pq-origsite=primo&accountid=28549.
Bibliography:
Creator Last Name, Creator First Name. Title of Image. Date Created. Medium, Dimensions. Source, page number, date of source. URL.
Adams, Ansel, Geology Field Trip in Joshua National Monument, ca 1966, photograph, The Chronicle of Higher Education, B7, June 12, 1991, https://www.proquest.com/docview/214663320?pq-origsite=primo&accountid=28549.
If you are citing social media images, cite them as social media. See “How do I cite Instagram in Chicago Style?”, “How do I cite Twitter in Chicago Style?”, and “How do I cite Facebook in Chicago Style?” for further information.
This is just the basics of Chicago citation for images, for further detail, check out the Chicago Manual of Style available in the library or the Chicago Manual of Style Shop Talk (blog).
If you need further help, contact a librarian or check out the resources on the Citation Help page.