MLA General Image Rules
For photographic reproductions of artwork (e.g. images of artwork in a book),
Treat the book or website as a container. Remember that for a second container, the title is listed first, before the contributors. Cite the bibliographic information for the photograph, followed by the information for the source in which the photograph appears, including page or reference numbers (plate, figure, etc.).
Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800, Museo del Prado, Madrid. Gardener's Art Through the Ages, 10th ed., by Richard G. Tansey and Fred S. Kleiner, Harcourt Brace, p. 939.
If you viewed the artwork on the museum's website, treat the name of the website as the container and include the website's publisher and the URL at the end of the citation. Omit publisher information if it is the same as the name of the website. Note the period after the date below, rather than the comma: this is because the date refers to the painting's original creation, rather than to its publication on the website. Thus, MLA format considers it an "optional element."
A work of art viewed on a website would be formatted:
Artist's last name, first name. Title of Artwork. Date created. Title of Database or Website, Publisher or sponsor of Database or Website, URL or DOI. Date of access.
Example:
Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo del Prado, museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos-iv/f47898fc-aa1c-48f6-a779-71759e417e74. Accessed 9 Feb. 2021.
Sources:
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl. Accessed 9 Feb. 2021.
Create an Image Caption
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All visuals/illustrations that are not tables or musical score examples (e.g. maps, diagrams, charts, videos, podcasts, etc.) are labeled Figure or Fig.
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Refer to the figure in-text and provide an Arabic numeral that corresponds to the figure. Do not capitalize figure or fig.
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MLA does not specify alignment requirements for figures; thus, these images may be embedded as the reader sees fit. However, continue to follow basic MLA Style formatting (e.g. one-inch margins).
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Below the figure, provide a label name and its corresponding arabic numeral (no bold or italics), followed by a period (e.g. Fig. 1.). Here, Figure and Fig. are capitalized.
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Beginning with the same line as the label and number, provide a title and/or caption as well as relevant source information in note form (see instructions and examples above). If you provide source information with your illustrations, you do not need to provide this information on the Works Cited page.
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If you are referring to an image but not including it in your paper you must provide an in-text citation and include an entry in the Works Cited List.
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If you place the artwork in your paper, you must label the figure. The caption should be the Works Cited list citation for the source the figure was found in. For example, if it was found on a website, cite the website.
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Information about the figure (the caption) is placed directly below the image in your assignment.
Fig. 1. Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo del Prado, museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos- iv/f47898fc-aa1c-48f6-a779-71759e417e74.
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl. Accessed 9 Feb. 2021.
Citation Building Tools
Use these tools to format your reference list citations in APA, Chicago, or MLA styles. Check the accuracy of these citations (e.g. capitalization, indentation, etc.) using a citation guide.