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Cite images in MLA

Learn how to cite images in MLA style. Use correct templates for authors and formats to reference sources accurately in your writing.

  • Each illustration must include a label, a number, a caption and/or source information.
  • The illustration label and number should always appear in two places: the document main text (e.g. see fig. 1) and near the illustration itself (Fig. 1).
  • Illustrations appear directly embedded in the document, except in the case of manuscripts that are being prepared for publication.
  • When you are citing an image reproduced in a book or periodical, it is usually sufficient to refer to it in your text and create a Works Cited entry for the book or journal article in which the image appears.
  • If a page number appears, include it.

In-text citations

Citation format Example
Paraphrasing When Oliver Twist meets Fagin for the first time he … (Dickens, fig. 1, 100).

Figures

Figure format Example
Template

<FIGURE>

Fig. #. 
Figure

"Illustration of a young boy, Oliver Twist, standing in a dimly lit room as he is greeted by a group of boys and an older man, Fagin, who gestures toward him with a welcoming expression." (Fig. 1. From Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, edited by Kathleen Tillotson, Clarendon Press, 1966, p. 100.)

Fig. 1. Oliver's reception by Fagin and the boys from Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. Edited by Kathleen Tillotson. Clarendon Press, 1966, p. 100.

Works cited

Source information documentation will always depend upon the medium of the source illustration. If you provide source information with all of your illustrations, you do not need to provide this information on the Works Cited list.

Reference format Example
Template Author. Title. Publisher, Year. 
Works cited entry

Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. Edited by Kathleen Tillotson. Clarendon Press, 1966.

In-text citations

Citation format Example
Paraphrasing The inscription on the plaque reads ... (Jones, fig. 1).

Figures

Figure format Example
Template

<FIGURE>

Fig. #. 
Figure

"Photograph showing the grave of Oskar Schindler, covered with small stones placed by visitors, with engraved text visible on the headstone." (Fig. 1. From Details of Grave of Oskar Schindler, by Adam Jones, Flickr, 1 May 2011, http://www.flickr.com/photos/adam_jones/5676126945. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.)

Fig. 1. Details of Grave of Oskar Schindler, by Adam Jones. Flickr, 1 May 2011, http://www.flickr.com/photos/adam_jones/5676126945. Licenced under CC BY 2.0.

Works cited

Reference format Example
Template Author. “Title.” Website, Day Month Year, URL.
Works cited entry

Jones, A. “Details of Grave of Oskar Schindler.” Flickr, 1 May 2011, http://www.flickr.com/photos/adam_jones/5676126945.

In-text citations

Citation format Example
Paraphrasing Artist Charles Howard Hodges painted a portrait of Hendrik Voogd landscape painter in 1828 which was discovered relatively recently by a curator at the Rijksmuseum (see fig. 2). 

Figures

Figure format Example
Template

<FIGURE>

Fig. #.
Figure

"Formal portrait of Hendrik Voogd, a 19th-century landscape painter, shown in three-quarter view wearing a dark coat and cravat, with a calm, composed expression." (From The Discovery of an Artist’s Portrait: The Landscape Painter Hendrik Voogd Portrayed by Charles Howard Hodges, by Josephina De Fouw and Sepha Wouda, The Rijksmuseum Bulletin, vol. 69, no. 2, 2021, p. 147. https://doaj.org/article/bbcbcfcdb77a48709be90ceb1a0a3c0d)

Fig. 2. Portrait of Hendrik Voogd painted in 1828 by Charles Howard Hodges from De Fouw, Josephina, and Sepha Wouda. “The Discovery of an Artist’s Portrait: The Landscape Painter Hendrik Voogd Portrayed by Charles Howard Hodges.” The Rijksmuseum Bulletin, vol. 69, no. 2, 2021, p. 147. DOAJ, doaj.org/article/bbcbcfcdb77a48709be90ceb1a0a3c0d.

Works cited

Reference format Example
Template Author. “Title of Article.” Journal Name, volume, issue, year, page range. Database, doi/URL.
Works cited entry

De Fouw, Josephina, and Sepha Wouda. “The Discovery of an Artist’s Portrait: The Landscape Painter Hendrik Voogd Portrayed by Charles Howard Hodges.” The Rijksmuseum Bulletin, vol. 69, no. 2, 2021, pp. 145–151. DOAJ, doaj.org/article/bbcbcfcdb77a48709be90ceb1a0a3c0d.

In-text citations

Citation format Example
Paraphrasing Casey City's electoral structure is ... (Victorian Electoral Commission fig. 1).

Figures

Figure format Example
Template

<FIGURE>

Fig. #. 
Figure

"Historical map of Victoria, Australia, from 1916, showing state boundaries, major towns, railways, and geographic features." (From The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection: Historical maps of Australia and the Pacific, by McCarron, Bird and Co., 1916, University of Texas Libraries. https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/australia_1916_victoria.jpg. Public domain.)Fig. 1 Map of Victoria from "Victoria." McCarron; Bird and Co., 1916, Map. https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/australia_1916_victoria.jpg.

Works cited

Online

Give the title of the item in quotation marks (" "). If there is no title or caption, give a short description without quotation marks, followed by the website name, website publisher and year, description of its form (e.g., ‘Map’, ‘Chart’), and URL.

Reference format Example
Template “Title.” Description. Title of Work or Website Name (if online). Publisher, Year. Form. URL.
Works cited entry "Casey City Council: Electoral structure of Casey City Council." Victorian Electoral Commission, 2016, Map. www.vec.vic.gov.au/images/maps/CaseyMapHR.pdf.

Print

Give the title of the item in quotation marks(" "). If there is no title or caption, give a short description without quotation marks, followed by the title of the source, author, publication details, and page of the work containing it, and describe its form (e.g., ‘Map’, ‘Chart’).

Reference format Example
Template “Title”. Title of Work, Author, Publisher, Year, Page. Form.
Works cited entry

“Old Hobart Town.” Colonial Settlement in Tasmania, by P. E. Timms, Tiger Press, 2006, p. 13. Chart.

In-text citations

Citation format Example
Paraphrasing One colourful work by Pablo Picasso titled Women in a Multicoloured Hat has been long admired for its … (fig. 1).

Figures

Figure format Example
Template

<FIGURE>

Fig. #. 
Figure

"Cubist-style portrait of a woman with exaggerated facial features, wearing a brightly coloured, abstract hat, set against a vivid background." (Pablo Picasso, Woman in a Multicoloured Hat (Tête de Femme au Chapeau), 1939, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie. Exhibited at the National Gallery of Australia, 2025. https://nga.gov.au/exhibitions/cezanne-to-giacometti/.)Fig. 1. Pablo Picasso, “Woman in a Multicoloured Hat (Tête de Femme au Chapeau),” National Gallery of Australia, https://nga.gov.au/exhibitions/cezanne-to-giacometti/.

Works cited

Reference format Example
Template Artist. “Title of artwork.” Website, Year, doi/URL.
Works cited entry

Picasso, Pablo. “Woman in a Multicoloured Hat (Tête de Femme au Chapeau).” National Gallery of Australia, 2025, nga.gov.au/exhibitions/cezanne-to-giacometti/.

In-text citations

Citation format Example
Paraphrasing John Brack's original artwork The Fish Shop shows ...

Works cited

  • Give the artist, title (in italics), year, medium, and name, and city of the gallery.
  • The medium of publication and materials of composition, if important to your discussion, could be included at the end of the entry as optional elements.
Reference format Example
Template Artist. Title of Artwork, Year, Gallery/Museum, City. 
Works cited entry

Brack, John. The Fish Shop, 1955, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne.