“Source: museum website” is not enough. A reader should be able to identify the object, locate the exact catalogue record and understand which digital image you used. The object page matters because it normally brings together title, maker, date, collection number, credit line and a rights statement that may not appear beside a search-result thumbnail.
Separate the collection object from its reproduction
The painting, letter, poster or artefact may be out of copyright while the supplied image carries information about photography, digitisation or contractual conditions. The reverse problem also occurs: a portal may offer an image file openly even though third-party rights in the depicted object or people remain relevant. Treat these as separate questions rather than compressing them into one vague “copyright” field.
For the object layer, record the creator or maker, title or object name, date, material, institution and accession number. For the reproduction layer, record the photographer or project where credited, the file or record identifier, the displayed rights label and the exact URL. Prefer a persistent record link or identifier over a temporary search URL with session parameters.
Preserve uncertainty in the catalogue record
Collection descriptions often contain qualified attributions such as “possibly”, “workshop of” or “unknown photographer”. Keep those qualifications. Turning a cautious catalogue entry into a definite authorship makes the citation more confident than its source. Preserve historical titles or terminology when they are required for identification, while explaining outdated language in your prose where appropriate.
Capture the essential metadata when you first consult the record. Institutions migrate systems, correct descriptions and replace preview images. An access date records when you saw the entry, but it cannot replace an accession number or stable identifier. If the archive supplies a preferred credit line, use it as a starting point and add whatever your citation style requires for figures.
Read the statement attached to this record
Cultural heritage portals increasingly use standardised Rights Statements and Creative Commons tools. Labels such as Public Domain Mark, CC BY or In Copyright communicate different things. Check whether the label is intended for the underlying work, the digital reproduction or the complete record. Never infer a licence merely from the presence of a download button or the absence of a watermark.
If your thesis is governed by German law, section 51 of the German Copyright Act may be relevant where an image is used for a genuine quotation purpose and the extent is justified by that purpose. Other jurisdictions use different exceptions and terminology. Pure illustration, online publication, sensitive personal material or uncertain rights may require permission. Ask the holding institution when its statement is ambiguous. This page provides general information, not legal advice.
Worked record: a 1928 poster
Suppose you analyse the visual rhetoric of a poster dated 1928. Its catalogue record identifies a designer, title, date, accession number and museum. The digital photograph was produced during a later cataloguing project and has its own credit and rights statement. Your caption begins with the object details and holding collection, then identifies the reproduction, rights label and persistent link.
Your discussion explains why readers need the image: perhaps you compare typographic hierarchy and the direction of the viewer’s gaze with a second poster. You retain the border because it is part of that analysis. The list of figures provides a concise version of the credit, while the source list records the full catalogue entry. Your research notes also identify the downloaded file and date.
A practical workflow
- Open the individual object record rather than relying on a result thumbnail.
- Copy object metadata and reproduction metadata into separate fields.
- Retain uncertainty and attributed authorship exactly as catalogued.
- Read the rights label in the context of the specific record.
- State in your prose why the image is evidence for the argument.
- Save the accession number, stable URL and access date.
- Reconcile the caption, list of figures and bibliography before submission.
The media citation hub connects related cases. See photographing an artwork yourself when you made the image, and citing Creative Commons images when the record carries an open licence.