Image Captions

These are recommendations only; established institutional guidelines, lender requests, and legal recommendations supersede this information. Image captioning can be one of the most confusing and tedious parts of any guide. Don't hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns!

Images of Works of Art

The following can be used as a template for captions of images of works of art in the Bloomberg Connects app:

[Artist’s Name], [Title], [date]. [copyright and/or courtesy info if applicable]. Photo: [Photographer name if applicable] 

Examples

• Siah Armajani, Gazebo for Two Anarchists: Gabriella Antolini and Alberto Antolini, 1992. © Estate of Siah Armajani, courtesy Rossi & Rossi, Hong Kong and London. Photo: Jerry L. Thompson
• Kianga Ford, Urban Revival (installation view), 2005. Photo: Photography Etc.
• Andy Warhol, Self-Portrait, 1986. © 2021 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
• David Strauss, Untitled (Self-Portrait with Chicken), 2017. Photo: Kate Spellman

Notes on punctuation

• There is no period after the last element of a caption (unless it is part of the last element’s name).
• Please add a space after the © sign. 

Fields to include in a caption

Since artwork images have the potential to be used to illustrate any Item or Exhibition – not just the Item featuring that artwork – best practice is to caption all images with the following information. 

Title

Italicize titles. If the work in question is a detail, installation view, video still or other portion or representation of the work, in all cases, this designation appears after the title in parentheses, and is not italicized or underlined: (detail), (installation view), etc. If multiple parentheticals apply, they should be included in one set of parentheses separated by a comma. 

Year

If the work was created over a number of years, list the beginning and ending years of the work’s creation, separated by an en dash (–). If the years are within the same century, omit the first two numbers of the second year (1974–95). If the work was made in one year and then remade later, include both years in their entirety, separated by a forward slash (1987/2014). Use “n.d.” for undated works. Ancient works may be identified by centuries or century ranges: 1st century BCE–2nd century CE, 3rd century, etc.

Photo credit/copyright information

This information provides credit to the person who took a photograph of a work of art and/or who owns or licenses the copyright to the image. This is not generally required when the pictured work is a photograph (pictured in its entirety and not re-photographed on behalf of the institution) or when the institution has created the photograph as part of its regular activities and does not record the photographer’s name. This may include a required credit to licensing agencies such as ARS. Always refer to relevant contracts for specifics.

Fields that do not need to be included in a caption

In general, the caption provides the minimum information needed to identify what is shown in the photo and to meet any legal requirements. Other fields are available to provide more detailed information on the actual object. However, like all guidelines in this document, your institutional preferences and contractual obligations always take precedence over our recommendations. 

Medium

In the Bloomberg Connects app, medium is shown in the “Materials/Medium” field in an Item and is not needed in an image caption.

Dimensions

Dimension information is provided in the “Dimensions” field in an Item and is not necessary in the caption.

Owner, Accession/permission information

Accession information is provided in the “Credit” field in an Item and is not necessary in the caption. For works borrowed for a temporary exhibition, collection information can also be placed in the “Credit” field instead of the caption. However, if a photograph has been provided to rather than taken by the institution in whose guide it appears, a courtesy line may be appropriate. Funding information does not need to appear in captions, and can appear in the “Credit” field if acknowledgement is required.

Images of Non-artwork Objects

Historical objects, photographs, and ephemera that are part of an institution’s collection or archive, or are on loan to an exhibition, can be captioned similarly to works of art, with the difference that the identifying title generally does not need to be in title case or italicized like an artwork.

The following can be used as a template for captions of images of non-artwork objects in the Bloomberg Connects app:

[Title of object], [date]. Photo: [Photographer name or photo provider, if applicable]

Examples

• Coffin lid of Henet-Mer, 1075–945 B.C.E. Photo: Anan Smith
• The 1982 Louisiana Tech women’s basketball team, 1982. Courtesy of Malcolm Butler, Associate Athletics Director, Louisiana Tech
• Louis and Lucille Armstrong pose in their living room, 1970. Photo: Yuzo Sato

Other Images

Photographs that document the activities of an institution can be treated slightly differently. In these cases, the goal is to help the viewer understand how what they are looking at relates to and tells the story of the organization, and to provide appropriate credit to the photographer. They should NOT duplicate or substitute for the storytelling in an Item or Exhibition text, but should provide sufficient context for understanding what the user is looking at, without feeling repetitive or boring. 

Photo credits may not be required if staff have created the photograph as part of their regular duties; however, the individuals who provide photographs may appreciate the credit. For contract photographers, please refer to their contractual specifications. Crowdsourced photos should be credited with a link to the social media account of the creator.

Date information can be provided if known and/or relevant; exact dates may be useful for documentation of specific events; month or year can be sufficient for more general images. 

The following can be used as a template for captions of documentary images in the Bloomberg Connects app:

[Description of photograph], [date information, as appropriate]. Photo: [Photographer name or photo provider, if applicable] 

Examples

• Visitors meeting Magazzino’s donkeys, 2022. Photo: @nelsonthedonkey
• Family day at Storm King, May 2017. Photo: Tormenta Rey
• Poet, playwright, and nonfiction writer Luis H. Francina reading at TOPAZ ARTS, October 22, 2022