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Theatre and Performance: Using and Citing Images

MLA Image Citation Style

When citing an image, the caption/citation should be labeled as Figure (usually abbreviated Fig.), assigned an Arabic numeral, and given a title or caption. 

Include information about the source of your image, for example the book in which the image you are using appears. 

The caption/citation ordinarily appears directly below the image. Use the same one-inch margins as the text of the paper. 

Captions/citations should be numbered consecutively.

Citing Images - Examples

Image downloaded from museum website:

Fig. 2. Kerry James Marshall, Many Mansions. 1994. Acrylic on paper mounted on canvas, 289.6 x 342.9 cm. The Art Institiute of Chicago, Chicago, IL. From: The Art Institute of Chicago, https://www.artic.edu (accessed January 23, 2019).

Image downloaded from Flickr Commons:

Fig. 3. P. Lecher, Women's Art Class at State School of the Deaf, Delavan, Wisconsin. c. 1880, Black and white photographic print, 19 x 24 cm. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. From: Flickr Commons, https://www.flickr.com/photos/smithsonian/2921660418/in/album-72157605409711458/ (accessed January 23, 2019).

Image downloaded from Flickr (personal images):

Fig. 4. Senor Codo, One Last Time. 2007. From: Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/senor_codo/1610457679. Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0 Generic License (accessed January 23, 2019).

Image scanned from a book:

Fig. 5. Tarsila do Amaral, Shantytown Hill. 1924, Oil on canvas, 64.5 x 76 cm. Hecilda and Sergio Fadel Collection, Rio de Janeiro. From: Greet, Michele. Transatlantic Encounters: Latin American Artists in Paris Between the Wars. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2018. Figure 112.

Citing images from Artstor

A full image citation should include the following information, as available:

Artist's Name (First and Last)
Title and Date of the Work
Materials and Dimensions of the Work
Museum Name and Location
Image Source and ID Number

EXAMPLE (Public Domain image):

Fig. 1. Dagobert Peche, Brooch, c.1922, Gold and mother-of-pearl, 4.1 x 4.1 x 0.3 cm.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. In Artstor public collections [online database] 
http://library.artstor.org (accessed July 8, 2020).

Licensing, Copyright, and Fair Use for Visual Arts

Reverse Image Search - Where did that image come from?

Use Reverse Image Search to see where your own images have been reused, to find larger versions of images, and more.