The Chicago Manual of Style presents a comprehensive guide for the citation of different types of sources. Image citation in Chicago style consists of a systematic approach to referencing visuals such as digital images, photos, and paintings, supporting the essence of academic integrity and academic dishonesty. This citation style is composed of the creator’s name, title of the image, creation date, image format, and source location, providing thorough information that allows readers to locate the original source. Understanding Chicago Style Image Citation is an integral part of academic writing, learn more in this article.
Chicago Style Image Citation – In a Nutshell
Read this article to:
- Learn the definition and importance of Chicago style image citation.
- See examples of Chicago style image citation for various scenarios.
- Understand how to use Chicago style image citation
Definition: Chicago style image citation
In Chicago notes and bibliography style, Chicago style image citation suggests citing images in notes, leaving them from the bibliography. You only need to cite an image in a bibliography if it is frequently cited, if it’s a critical element of your argument, or if your university requires it.
Follow the format shown in the table below to create a Chicago style image citation note for an image viewed online. Remember to cite the web page where the image is hosted, not in the Google search results where you originally found it.
| Chicago bibliography |
| Author last name, First name. Image Title. Format description. Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL. |
| Full note |
| Author first name, Last name, Image Title, Format description, Website Name, Month Day, Year, URL. |
| Short note |
| Author last name, Shortened Image Title. |
Example
Full note
Eric, Ravilious. The Westbury Horse, Photograph, The Guardian, June 2 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/jun/02/eric-ravilious-westbury-horse-old-new.
Short note
Ravilious, Westbury Horse.
Chicago style image citation: Artwork
If you have seen a sculpture or a painting in person at a gallery or a museum, or any other location, Chicago style image citation requires you to share information about the hosting institution. For example, you may give a URL if the art gallery website has a page about the artwork.
| Chicago bibliography |
| Author last name, First name. Artwork Title. Year. Format description. Institution Name, City. URL. |
| Short note |
| Author last name, Shortened Artwork Title. |
Example
Chicago bibliography
Kusama, Yayoi. Infinity Mirror Rooms. 1965. Installation. Tate Modern, London. https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/yayoi-kusama-infinity-mirror-rooms
Short note
Kusama, Infinity Mirror Rooms.
Chicago style image citation: Image from a book
An image you have found in a book, magazine article, or any other physical print source needs to be cited by initially providing information about the image and then citing information about the source in which it was found, such as the page number and the name of the publication.
Use italics for the title if the image was initially created outside the context of the book or article (e.g., a photo of a sculpture) and quotation marks for the title of an image unique to the article or book (e.g., a chart). Use plain text to describe an untitled image.
| Chicago bibliography |
| Author last name, First name. Image Title. Year. Author first name Last name, Book Title, Page number. City: Publisher, Year. |
| Full note |
| Author first name Last name, Image Title, Year, Author first name last name, Book Title (City: Publisher, Year), Page number. |
| Short note |
| Author last name, Shortened Image Title, Page number. |
Example
Chicago bibliography
Brueghel, Peter the Elder. Hunters in the Snow. 1565. Michael Andrews, The Birth of Europe, 167. London, BBC Books, 1991.
Full note
Brueghel, Peter the Elder. Hunters in the Snow. 1565. Michael Andrews, The Birth of Europe (London, BBC Books, 1991), 167.
Short note
Brueghel, Hunters in the Snow, 167.
Chicago style image citation: Author-date style
In Chicago style image citation author-date style, an in-text citation for an image includes the author’s last name and the year of the creation of the image.
These citations should correspond to entries in your reference list. Reference list entries resemble bibliography entries, but the year comes straight after the author’s name.
Chicago style image citation author-date style: Online image
| Chicago author-date format |
| Author last name, First name. Year. Image Title. Month Day, Year. Format description. Website Name. URL. |
Example
Chicago reference entry
Ravilious, Eric. 1939. The Westbury Horse. June 2, 2017. Photograph. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/jun/02/eric-ravilious-westbury-horse-old-new.
Chicago author-date citation
(Ravilious 1939)
Chicago style image citation author-date style: Museum artwork
| Chicago author-date format |
| Author last name, First name. Year. Artwork Title. Format description. Institution Name, City. |
Example
Chicago reference entry
Kusama, Yayoi. 1965. Infinity Mirror Rooms. Installation. Tate Modern, London.
Chicago author-date citation
(Kusama 1965)
Chicago style image citation author-date style: Image from a book
| Chicago author-date format |
| Author last name, First name. Year. Book Title. City: Publisher. |
Example
Chicago reference entry
Andrews, Michael. 1991. The Birth of Europe. London, BBC Books.
Chicago author-date citation
(Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Hunters in the Snow, 1565, 167)
FAQs
An image referred to in a book, journal or article in Chicago style image citation should be cited by first listing information about the image itself, then information about the source where it was found, including the page number.
If the images are yours, i.e. you drew them or took the photo, they don’t need to be cited in Chicago style image citation.
Public Domain images do not have a copyright because:
- The copyright may have expired
- The work never had a copyright
- The copyright holder released the work into the public domain
Images not subjected to copyright do not need to be cited in Chicago style image citation.
