Citing photographs and objects in family history is challenging. This article describes my approach to citing these items.
In my opinion, the formats provided by citation guides for photographs and objects often do not provide sufficient information and clarity for genealogists. This article describes my own approach to citing these items, based on my experience as a researcher and a manager of a family history archive.
The citation model
My citation model works well, even when citing photographs and objects.
I teach the craft of citing sources using the Six Question Model. Check out pages 131-144 of my book, The Good Genealogist, for information about the model and citing sources.
I call it a model, rather than a template, because not every citation has the exact same parts in the exact same order. Instead, the questions act as a prompt and provide a general order which helps you craft a citation.
When creating your citation, it helps to keep the purposes of a source citation in mind.
The purpose of a citation is to help:
- you find that source again, if you need it
- others find that source, so that they can view if for themselves
- you, and others, analyse the source – because it provides information that hints towards the reliability of the information, who created it and whether copyright may apply to the source
- you, and others, reach conclusions about the quality of your research.
Citing photographs and objects from a public collection
Whose work is it?
The first question is whose work is it? The answer would be the name of the photographer or the person who made the object, if that information is available. Having this information in first place gives credit to the person responsible for the work and helps identify the copyright status.
If you do not know the name of the photographer or creator of an object, I suggest that you put ‘Anonymous’ in first place. I never put the name of the subject of a photograph in first place, as it is important to clearly distinguish between the creator and the subject. Having ‘Anonymous’ in first place also helps you sort your list of sources alphabetically by the author/creator and groups all sources of unknown origin together.
What is it?
The second question is what is it?
Always use the title assigned by the repository, which you will find in the catalogue for the collection. Using the official title helps you and others correctly identify the source within the collection, which makes it easier to find it.
If the item has no title, you can call it ‘Untitled’ or add a short description. Then add a short description of the format – e.g. photograph or statue.
Provided it does not make your citation too lengthy, you might also want to include other format information if it helps serve the purpose of the citation. For example, stating that a photograph is a daguerreotype is useful because it gives a clue to the age of the photograph if the exact date is unknown.
Who created it and where?
The third question is who created it and the fourth question is about place.
These are relevant for published sources, but do not need to be addressed in this citation. The exception might be a photograph by an unknown photographer which is contained within a photograph album which was owned by someone who is known. See the example below.
When was it created?
Next question is when it was created. The date, or an estimation, will usually be included in the catalogue for the collection. If no date is available, put ‘n.d.’.
The date of a photograph is particularly important. It affects the copyright status and, in family history, it may help identify the person or people in the photograph.
If you do not know the date, it might be useful to include some other indication of the approximate date – such as the photograph format mentioned above, or the birthdate of the subject, if known. See the example below.
Any other details?
The final question asks for any other details that are needed to identify the item and help people locate it. In this case, this is the name of the repository and the catalogue reference.
Example citation:
Citing published photographs
Remembering the principle that you need to cite the source that you used. So, if you are citing a copy of a photograph from a book, journal article or website, then you need to cite that publication while also referencing the original.
The approach is similar to the one I described above, but you create a two-part citation. The second part is created by replacing information about a repository with a citation for the publication. Use the word ‘from’ to link the two parts together.
Your footnote will need to include the page number from the publication, or, if you found the image on a website, the URL and the date it was accessed.
Citing photographs and objects from a private collection
Citing photographs and objects from a private collection is more challenging. You don’t have a catalogue entry to inform your citation and you cannot help other researchers find the source because private collections are rarely accessible. However, you can include information to achieve the other purposes of a citation.
Use the same approach described above, but with some adjustments. If the item is labelled you can use that as the title. Otherwise, create a short description. If there is information written on the photograph or object, incorporate that into the description.
Most citation guides suggest including the name of the person who holds the original item in last place in the citation. However, you need to balance the need for that information with the need to respect privacy.
If the document that contains your citation is not going to be published, I would suggest including as much information as possible. This should include the full name and contact details, so that you know where the original is located. However, I would include less information if the document is going to be published. In such cases, it is best to check the guidelines of the publisher and follow their format.
Captions
When a photograph is used in a document, you will need to include captions as well as citations. Captions should include:
- the title or description of the image,
- information about the copyright status or whether the photograph is in the public domain
- permission to publish the photograph, if applicable, and
- a source citation.
More information
For a comprehensive discussion about source citations, see my article Citing Family History Sources. For more of my articles on citing sources and documenting your family history, go to the Document page.
The Good Genealogist can be purchased from the Society of Australian Genealogists.
Post last updated 11 June 2024
