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Chicago Citation

A guide to citing source according to the Chicago Manual of Style

Artwork/Illustration Citation Notes & Format

See sections 14.235–237 in The Chicago Manual for more information.

Important: Chicago notes that artwork can "usually be presented in the text rather than in a note or bibliography." This page gives Chicago's guidance on how to cite such works in notes and bibliographies when needed, but it is not universally required.

Use the listed elements below, where applicable, for citations in both notes and the bibliography.

Variations on the order, inclusion, and punctuation of elements will exist between note and bibliography forms.

See below for examples of footnotes, shortened notes, and bibliography entries for a variety of artwork types.

Elements to include when citing artwork from section 14.235 of The Chicago Manual:

  1. Artist: full name of artist(s) if available
  2. Work Title: full title of work (in italics)
  3. Date: date of creation or completion
  4. Medium: art medium, including size where relevant
  5. Location: information about where the artwork is located (if consulted online, include a URL)

Artwork Viewed Firsthand

Footnotes (full for first citation then shortened)

1. Edward Hopper, Conference at Night, 1949, oil on canvas, 28 1/4 x 40 5/16", Wichita Art Museum.
2. Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Bust of Jean Léon Gérôme (1824–1904), 1872–1873, marble sculpture, 61 x 27.3 x 24.1 cm, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
3. Hopper, Conference at Night.
4. Carpeaux, Bust of Jean Léon Gérôme.

Bibliography

Hopper, Edward. Conference at Night. 1949. Oil on canvas, 28 1/4 x 40 5/16". Wichita Art Museum.

Carpeaux, Jean-Baptiste. Bust of Jean Léon Gérôme (1824–1904). 1872–1873. Marble sculpture, 61 x 27.3 x 24.1 cm. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Artwork Viewed Online

Footnotes (full for first citation then shortened)

1. Alen MacWeeney, Woman in Hat and Shawl at Times Square Station, 1977–1979, photograph, New York Public Library, https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/1ff01850-a455-0130-5f44-58d385a7b928.
2. Diego Rivera, Weaving, 1936, tempera and oil on canvas, 26 x 42", Art Institute of Chicago, https://www.artic.edu/artworks/151363/weaving.
3. MacWeeney, Woman in Hat.
4. Rivera, Weaving.

Bibliography

MacWeeney, Alen. Woman in Hat and Shawl at Times Square Station. 1977–1979. Photograph. New York Public Library. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/1ff01850-a455-0130-5f44-58d385a7b928.

Rivera, Diego. Weaving. 1936. Tempera and oil on canvas, 26 x 42". Art Institute of Chicago. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/151363/weaving.