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Chicago Manual of Style in the Context of Art History

This guide provides guidance in using the Chicago Manual of Style in the context of Art History papers and projects

Note:

This guide makes it difficult to show correct spacing and indenting because it changes it based on the size of the computer screen used.  So, use this for the elements, but not the spacing.

Use the style rules for the spacing. See the Menu option on the left for Spacing & Indenting Rules

Formatting

NB ~ These are for books with 1 author.  See later tabs for multiple authors

1st Note :

1. Brandon Taylor, Collage: The Making of Modern Art (London: Thames & Hudson, 2004), 183. 

 

2nd or subsequent notes :  

2. Taylor, Collage, 39. 

 

Works Cited Reference: 

Taylor, Brandon. Collage: The Making of Modern Art. London: Thames & Hudson, 2004.

 

Chapter or other part of an edited book.  This includes items in anthologies or readers. 

1st Note

1. T. J. Clark, "Time and Work-Discipline in Pissarro," in Work, Craft and Labour: Visual Representations in Changing Histories, ed. Valerie Mainz and Griselda Pollock (London: Routledge, 2018), 109-132.

 

2nd and subsequent notes 

2. Clark, "Time and Work-Discipline in Pissaro," 113. 

 

Bibliography / Works Cited

Clark, T. J. "Time and Work-Discipline in Pissarro." In Work, Craft and Labour: Visual Representations in Changing Histories, edited by Valerie Mainz and Griselda Pollock, 109-132. London: Routledge, 2018.

NB ~ This is for articles with 1 author.  See the tab "How Many Authors?" for articles with multiple authors. 

1st Note : 

1. Susan Richmond, "The Craft of Anne Ryan's Collages," Art History

44, no.1 (2021): 52-77, https//10.1111/1467-8365.12542.

 

2nd & subsequent Notes: 

2. Richmond, "Anne Ryan," 55.

 

Works Cited Reference: 

Richmond, Susan. "The Craft of Anne Ryan's Collages." Art History

44, no.1 (2021): 52-77. https//10.1111/1467-8365.12542.

 

 

1st Note:  

1. Barbara Noe Kennedy, "North Carolina Frescoes Aren't a Pigment of Your Imagination," Washington Post, May 7, 2021, E15.

 

2nd Note : 

2. Kennedy, "North Carolina," E15.

 

Works Cited Reference: 

Kennedy, Barbara Noe. "North Carolina Frescoes Aren't a Pigment of Your Imagination," Washington Post, May 7, 2021.

References to Art works in your paper ~ 

When you are referring to a work of art in a paper, for the most part you should use your own text to give the information rather than have a note and bibliography entry.  If your discussion of the work means that the reader would need more information, then you can do a note and a bibliographic reference.  You would only need one note in this case - and not a brief note for subsequent references. 

Information to include :

  • Artist
  • Title (in italics)
  • Date of creation or completion
  • Medium if relevant 
  • Location of the work if relevant
  • URL if consulted online 

Example Note:

1. Pablo Picasso, Bull's Head, Spring 1942, bicycle saddle and handlebars, 33.5 x 43.5 x 19 cm, Art Institute, Chicago.

 

Example Reference in Works Cited:   

Picasso, Pablo. Bull's Head. Spring 1942. Bicycle saddle and handlebars, 33.5 x 43.5 x 19 cm. Art Institute, Chicago.

Images reproduced in your writing ~ When you include the actual image in your paper or project, you do need a reference for it. 

These instances are all handled as Figures and the source information is given in a Caption accompanying the figure, rather than in a note & works cited entry.

  • Images should be labeled with the word figure or abbreviation fig. followed by a number  ~ Ex.  fig.3 
  • Captions should include the source information 
  • Captions should be placed near the figure 
  • There are two formats :
    • Works reproduced in a Print source 
    • Works reproduced on the Web 

Format for Works reproduced from Print ~ Fig. #, Artist's Last-name, First-name, "Title of Work," Medium, Date of Creation, Location of Work-Institution/City/Owner, In Title of Print Source, by Author of Source, Page or plate/figure number, Place of Source Publication: Publisher, Date. 

Example:  

Fig 4, Jones, Martha, "Sun over the Cornfields," Watercolor on Paper, Alumni Art Collection, Luther College, In Iowa in Art, by Samantha Smith, Plate 24, Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2001.  

Format for Works reproduced from the Web ~ Fig. #, Artist's Last-name, First-name, Title of Work, Medium, Date of Creation, Location or Owner of Work, URL 

Example:  

Fig. 6, Anonymous, Celtic Knot #5, Ink Drawing, 1995, Merten Museum, Chicago, http://www.mertenmuseum.net/celticart/five

 

 

1st Note

1. Loving Vincent, directed by Hugh Welchman (New York: Cinedigm Entertainment Corp, 2018), DVD, 95 min.

 

2nd and subsequent notes 

2. Loving Vincent. 

 

Bibliography / Works Cited 

Welchman, Hugh, dir. Loving Vincent. New York: Cinedigm Entertainment Corp, 2018 DVD, 95 min.

Basic Elements to Include: 

Title of Video, Contributors (Original Release Year; City: Studio/Distributor, Video Release Year [if different]), Name of Streaming Provider

For the original release year - use IMDB/Google for that.

For the video release year, use the date given on the service.  You only have to provide this if it is different from the original release year.

Examples:

First Note 

1. Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg (2018; Burbank, CA: Warner Brothers), Kanopy

 

Subsequent Note 

2. Speilberg, Ready Player One

 

Bibliography 

Spielberg, Steven, dir. Ready Player One.  2018; Burbank, CA: Warner Brothers. Kanopy.

 

Websites & Website Entries ~ Here we are referring to content that is not officially published as a Book or Journal article.   So, a Journal article that is available on the web would follow the rules for a journal article, online.  An Ebook, would follow the rules for a Book, online. 

If the content is just published on the Internat as a website or as an entry or page on a website,  you would follow these guidelines below: 

An Entire Website: Info to include ~

  • Title of the site
  • website - in parentheses
  • Owner or Sponsor of the site - often an organization - If not identical to Title
  • Publication or revision date, with a qualifier.  Here are some places the date may be found : 
    •  On the Header of the site
    • On the Footer of the site
    • By right-clicking and using View Page Source
    • If you cannot find a date, use an access date
  • URL  

Formatting Examples : 

1st Note 

1. MoMA (website), Published 2021, https://www.moma.org. 

 

2nd and subsequent notes 

2. MoMa (website), 2021.  

 

Works Cited Entry 

MoMa (website). 2021. https://www.moma.org.  

-----------------------------------

An Entry or Section within a Website  

Elements to include :

  • Author name - if it is a signed section or page - otherwise skip
  • Title of page or section, in quotation marks"
  • Title of the Website it is part of
  • website - in parentheses
  • Name of owner or sponsor of the site 
  • Date of Creation, revision, modification, or Access  with a qualifier
  • URL  

 

Formatting Examples

1st Note

1. "Alumni art gallery : Featured artist Al S.," Mayo Clinic Health System (website),

accessed September 10, 2021, https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/locations.

 

2nd and subsequent Notes 

2. "Alumni Art gallery: Featured artist Al S."  

 

Works Cited Format 

Mayo Clinic Health System (website). "Alumni Art gallery: Featured artist Al S."  Accessed September 10, 2021,  https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/locations.

 

 

Entire Blog / VlogBelow applies to Blogs or Vlogs, just change your terminology

Whether something is a Blog or a Website can be confusing.  If the site does not use the terminology Blog and you are unsure, treat as a Website.

Info to Include ~  Just include these in the bibliography, does not need a note.

  • Author name - if an individual is named as responsible for the whole blog - if not start with Title.
  • Title if named blog /vlog - in Italics
  • (blog) in parentheses
  • Name of host publication if it is in one - for example the New York Times has blogs. 
  • URL

Example: Note 1

1. Monica Bowen, Alberti's Window (blog), http://albertis-window.com/.

2nd and Subsequent Notes ~

2. Bowen, Alberti's Window, (blog).

Works Cited Bibliography 

Bowen, Monica. Alberti's Window (blog). http://albertis-window.com/.

 

Blog / Vlog Posts ~ These should be cited basically the same as online newspaper articles.  Info to include ~

  • Author of the post
  • Title of the post in quotation marks
  • Title of the blog in italics 
  • (blog) in parentheses, if the word is not in the blog title 
  • Name of large publication if attached to one - in Italics or a larger Website
  • Date of the post
  • URL

Example  ~ Note, if no larger publication or website, just skip that element.

1st Note: 

1. Kristen Farr, "Analyzing the Elements of Art: Five Ways to Think about

Color," The Learning Network (blog), New York Times, March 9, 2016, https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/09/analyzing-the-elements-of-art-five-ways-to-think-about-color/  

 

2nd and Subsequent Notes 

2. Farr, "Analyzing the Elements of Art."  

 

Works Cited List  

Farr, Kristen. "Analyzing the Elements of Art: Five Ways to Think about Color." The Learning Network (blog).  New York Times, March 9, 2016, https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/09/analyzing-the-elements-of-art-five-ways-to-think-about-color/  

 

Letters or other Personal Communication

in Published Collections & in Private Collections 

 

Letters or Communication in Published Collections

Info to include ~

  • Name of sender - given name can be left out if clear from text
  • Name of recipient - given name can be left out if clear from text
  • Date
  • Location where the letter was prepared, if documented
  • Title of Published collection - in Italics
  • Name of Editor of collection preceded by ed. - name in direct order
  • Publication Place
  • Publisher
  • Publication Date
  • Page numbers

Examples

1st Note 

1. Degas to Claude Monet, Paris, September 22, 1902, in Letters of Edgar Degas,

ed. Theodore Reff (New York: Wildenstein Plattner Institute, 2020), 375-376.

2nd and Subsequent Notes 

2. Degas to Monet, Paris, September 22, 1902, 375.  

Works Cited Reference  

Degas, Edgar. Letters of Edgar Degas. Edited by Theodore Reff. New York: Wildenstein Plattner Institute, 2020.  

----------------------------------------------------------------

Letters or Communication in Private Collections ~ This basic format includes any unpublished correspondence such as email or a phone conversation.

Info to include ~

  • Name of sender - given name can be left out if clear from text
  • Name of recipient - given name can be left out if clear from text 
  • Format word if not a letter or obvious from the text, examples:
    • Memorandum
    • Telegram
    • Email
  • Date
  • Location where the letter was prepared, if documented
  • Manuscript or File number or section if in an archived collection.
  • Name of manuscript collection if the item is archived If a collection is not named Use  something like this as appropriate
    • "private collection" with no location 
    •  "in the author's possession" Note :
  • Do not provide email addresses or phone numbers 

Example in a manuscript collection

1st Note 

1. Warhol to Pollock, June 23, 1954,  Archives Study Center, file 36, Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh.   

2nd and Subsequent Notes 

2. Warhol to Pollock, June 23, 1954.  

Works Cited Reference 

Warhol, Andy. Papers. Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Example in a private collection.

1st Note 

1. Picasso to Braque, June 23, 1954, Paris, private collection.

2nd and Subsequent Notes 

2. Picasso to Braque, June 23, 1954.  

Works Cited Reference ~ unpublished items held in private do not need an entry in the Works Cited list.

 

1st Note: 

1. Tung-Hui Hu, "How to Comply with an Algorithm: The Lethargic

Media of Erica Scourti," (PowerPoint presentation, The Annual Conference: The College Art Association, Los Angeles, February 21, 2018).

 

2nd and subsequent Notes: 

2. Hu,"How to Comply."

 

Works Cited Reference:

Hu, Tung-Hui. "How to Comply with an Algorithm: The Lethargic Media of

Erica Scourti." PowerPoint presentation at The Annual Conference: The College Art Association, Los Angeles, February 21, 2018.

 

Information to use : 

  • Use presenter's name (student or instructor)
  • Title or subject of lecture/presentation/discussion
  • Words "class lecture" if a lecture, "class presentation" if a student or guest presentation, or "class discussion" if a discussion
  • Course name and number
  • College name
  • Location (city and province)
  • Date (month, day, year)

1st Note: 

1. Sally Stevens, "Illuminated Miniatures in Medieval Books of Hours," (class

discussion, ART243, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA, January, 28, 2021).

 

2nd and Subsequent Notes: 

2. Stevens, "Illuminated Miniatures."

 

Works Cited Reference:

Stevens, Sally. "Illuminated Miniatures in Medieval Books of Hours." Class discussion. ART243 Medieval Art, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA, January, 28, 2021.

"Classic English poems and plays can often be cited by book, canto, and stanza; stanza and line; act, scene, and line; or similar divisions. Publication facts can then be omitted."  ~ From Chicago Manual of Style 17th ed. 

1st Note

1. Shakespeare, King Lear, 3.2.49-60. References are to act, scene, and line.

 

2nd and subsequent notes

2. Shakespeare, King Lear, 4.1 12-13.

Nothing is needed in the Bibliography in these cases.

* Exception - If the specific edition is relevant to your point, i.e. there is something specific about that edition that you are pointing out in your writing, then you can give the edition information in parentheses in the 1st note - and then in the bibliography - Ex. 

First Note

1. Shakespeare, King Lear, ed. David Bevington et al. (New York: Bantam Books,

2005)3.2.49-60. References are to act, scene, and line. 

Bibliography:

Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Edited by David Bevington et al. New York: Bantam Books, 2005.

 

 

Dissertations ~ These are unpublished and non peer reviewed documents.  This does not mean they are not necessarily valuable and appropriate resources to use, but the quality does vary.  I encourage you to check with your professor to make sure a particular dissertation or thesis is OK to use as a source.   Dissertations can also be difficult to obtain a copy of if they are not posted electronically, so if you need help obtaining one, check with Me - Sharon R. Clayton - as your consulting librarian.

 

1st Note 

1. Elizabeth Burns-Dans, “The Shadow in the Light: The Dark Romanticism of Francisco de Goya” (master’s thesis, University Notre Dame Australia, 2018), 35, https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1221&context=theses

2nd and Subsequent Notes   

2. Burns-Dans, “The Shadow in the Light,” 37.

 

Works Cited / Bibliography

Burns-Dans, Elizabeth.  “The Shadow in the Light: The Dark Romanticism of Francisco de Goya.” Master’s thesis, University of Notre Dame Australia, 2018.   https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1221&context=theses

Citations to published interviews are based on how or where they are published.

  • In a Journal - Cite the same way as any other journal article
  • In a section in a Book - Cite the same way as any other Book Chapter or Section
  • As a Webpage or section of a Website - Cite the same way as any other Webpage or Section
  • In a Magazine Article - Cite the same way as any other Magazine Article 
  • As a Blog Post - Cite the same way as any other Blog Post 

 

An unpublished, personal interview is referred to in The Chicago Manual of Style as a “Personal communication”

This format applies to face to face or telephone conversations.

These sources require a note, but not a corresponding entry in the bibliography / works cited list.  The reasoning is that it is not something that the reader can find on their own, so a note is sufficient.  This doesn’t mean it is not an important source, it is just that the reader has all they need in the note.  

In the sentence ~ You should have a fair amount of info in your sentence to contextualize it – so something like :

In a conversation with me on November 14, 2021, painter Jane Smith noted that…..

Formatting

1st Note: 

  1. Jane Smith, phone conversation to author, November 14, 2021

 

 2nd and subsequent notes

  1. Smith, phone conversation to author, November 14, 2021

In this case the note is so short to begin with that the 2nd note is almost the same.