Image captions

All images in your guide should have captions. In general, a caption provides the minimum information needed to identify what is shown in the photo and to meet any legal requirements.

Automatic captions

You can leave the Caption field blank. If you leave it blank, the CMS automatically creates a caption with key information the first time that you attach the image to content (like an item).

The automatic image caption's format depends on the type of content:

• Botanical items: Common Name, Scientific Name
• Exhibitions, tours, events: Title
• Items: Creator, Title, Creation Date/Period/Era

You can edit the Caption field at any time to permanently replace the automatic caption. In fact, there are a few situations where we encourage you to edit or replace the automatic caption:

• Multiple images attached to an Item have the same automatic caption: Make sure that each image has a unique caption. The caption briefly explains why you included the image (for example, “detail view of...,” “close-up of...,” “back side of the canvas,” or “a view from the terrace looking east”).
• Image attached to a non-artwork Item (like “Plan Your Visit”): Make sure that the caption names the subject of the image or gives photo credit. Don't repeat the Item's title in the image caption. For more, see Images of non-artwork objects.

The CMS creates the automatic caption only one time: the first time that you attach an image to content. If you attach an image to content before you add the details to that content (for example, creator name, title, and creation date), update the caption manually after those details are available.

Images of works of art

You can use the following template for captions of images of works of art in the Bloomberg Connects app:

[Artist’s Name], [Title], [date]. [copyright, courtesy information, or both, 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).
• Add a space after the © sign. 

Fields to include in a caption

Artwork images can illustrate any item or exhibition, not only the item about that artwork. Because of this, we recommend that you caption all images with the following information.

Title

• Italicize titles.
• If the image shows only part or a version of the work (like a detail, an installation view, or a video still), add this description after the title, in parentheses. Don't use italics or underline for it: (detail), (installation view). If more than one of these descriptions applies, put them 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 in the same century, omit the first two digits 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.” (no date) for undated works.
• You can identify ancient works by century or by a range of centuries, like 1st century BCE–2nd century CE or 3rd century.

Photo credit/copyright information

This information credits the person who took the photograph of a work of art, the person who owns or licenses the copyright to the image, or both.

• You don't usually need a photo credit if the pictured work is itself a photograph (shown in full, and not photographed again for the guide).
• You also don't need one if your organization created the photograph as part of its regular activities and didn't record the photographer’s name.
• This information might include a required credit to a licensing agency, like Artists Rights Society (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, your organization's preferences and contractual obligations are always more important than our recommendations.

Medium

In the Bloomberg Connects app, the medium (the materials of the work) appears in the Materials/Medium field of an item, so you don't need it 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, you can also put the collection information in the Credit field instead of the caption. However, if a photograph has been provided to (rather than taken by) the organization 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

You can caption historical objects, photographs, and ephemera the same way as works of art, if they are part of your organization's collection or archive, or on loan to an exhibition. The difference is that the title usually doesn't need to be in title case or in italics.

You can use the following template for captions of images of non-artwork objects in the 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

You can caption photographs that document your organization's activities slightly differently.

In these cases, the goal is to help the viewer understand how the photo relates to the organization and tells its story. The goal is also to give appropriate credit to the photographer. The captions shouldn't repeat or replace the storytelling in the item or exhibition text. Instead, they give enough context for the viewer to understand the photo, without being repetitive or boring.

You might not need a photo credit if your staff created the photograph as part of their regular work. However, the people who provide photographs might appreciate the credit. For contract photographers, refer to their contracts. For crowdsourced photos, credit the creator with a link to their social media account.

You can add date information if you know it and it is relevant. Exact dates can be useful to document specific events. For more general images, the month or year can be enough.

The following can be used as a template for captions of documentary images in the 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