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
- Fair Use for the Visual Arts - Best PracticesGuidebook from the College Art Association
- Artists Rights Society (ARS)Copyright, licensing, and monitoring organization for artists in the United States. Represents the intellectual property rights of over 80,000 artists.
- Lawyers for the Creative ArtsSite provides links to organizations providing pro bono legal services that may assist with copyright concerns in a variety of visual and performing arts areas.
- Rights and Reproductions (e-book)A handbook for cultural institutions. Second edition, 2019.
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.
- Google Reverse Image SearchClick on the "Search by Image" icon (camera) and upload the image so that Google can identify the source.