How To Cite Artifacts Chicago
⚠️ Disclaimer: While this post is aiming for peak funny and simple, citing artifacts can be kinda serious when you're writing a major league paper. The rules here are based on the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), but always double-check with your teacher or the specific assignment guidelines. Don't get busted for a citation fail! ♀️
The Artifact Avengers: How to Cite Ancient, Old, or Just Plain Weird Stuff in Chicago Style (The Super-Duper Easy Guide)
Yo, future history buff! Ever been writing a paper and thought, "Wait, how do I tell my teacher where I found this totally rad picture of a 5,000-year-old clay pot?" Citing a book is easy-peasy, but an artifact—a relic, a painting, a dusty old coin, or maybe even that weird action figure from your grandpa's attic—that's a whole different kettle of fish (or should I say, a whole different amphora?).
Don't sweat it! We're about to turn you into a Chicago Style Citing Ninja for all things old and interesting. Get ready to learn the secret sauce for keeping your history papers fresh and correct.
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| How To Cite Artifacts Chicago |
Step 1: The Vibe Check - What Even Is an Artifact Citation?
First things first: an artifact is just an object that's part of history or culture. When you cite it, you're basically giving it a shout-out so everyone knows where you found the info or image.
1.1. The Three Citation Musketeers
In Chicago Style, you usually need to make two main stops on your citation journey, plus one for the real nerds (that's us!):
Footnote/Endnote (The Quick Pop-Up): This is the zesty little number at the bottom of the page (or end of the chapter) that says, "Hey, look here!" It's super detailed and tells the reader exactly where you got the info the moment you mention it.
Bibliography (The Big List): This is the mega-list at the very end of your paper. It's an alphabetical roll call of every single source you used.
The Artifact Itself (The Original G): For art and artifacts, sometimes you'll just put the info right next to the image or mention it directly in your text. This is called a caption or an in-text citation. Think of it as a mini-tag on a cool museum display.
Step 2: The Info Hunt - Digging Up the Dirt on Your Object
Before you can cite, you gotta know your stuff! This is the detective work part, and it's way cooler than just looking up a book's publisher. Most of the time, you're citing an artifact that's in a museum or an online collection. You aren't usually citing the actual object in your hands unless you're, like, an archaeologist with a shovel. ⛏️
2.1. Essential Deets (The 'Gotta-Have-Its')
Imagine you're building a LEGO set. You need all the right pieces! For an artifact, you need to find as many of these pieces as possible (they might not all be available, which is totes okay!):
QuickTip: Skim the intro, then dive deeper.
Step 3: The Formula - Mixing Up the Citation Potion
Ready for the magic formula? Footnotes and Bibliography entries have slightly different recipes, kinda like pizza and calzones—same ingredients, different shape.
3.1. The Footnote (Your Pinch of Info)
Footnotes are separated by commas, and the whole thing ends with a period. Think of it as a long, detailed sentence.
The Super-Simple Footnote Formula:
Creator, "Title of Artifact," Date/Period, Material, Accession Number (if available), Name of Museum/Collection, City, State, URL.
A Funky Example:
Georges de La Tour, The Penitent Magdalene, 1640–45, oil on canvas, 1978.293, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.,
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.65759.html
See? It’s just a straight-up info dump with commas guiding the way. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!
3.2. The Bibliography Entry (The Whole Enchilada)
The Bibliography is a little more formal. It uses periods to separate the big chunks of info, and the location of the museum and the URL are usually at the end. It's also sorted alphabetically by the Creator's last name (or by the Title if there's no known creator).
The Super-Simple Bibliography Formula:
Creator Last Name, First Name. "Title of Artifact." Date/Period. Material/Medium. Name of Museum/Collection. City, State. Accession Number (if available). URL.
A Zany Example:
Tip: Rest your eyes, then continue.
La Tour, Georges de. The Penitent Magdalene. 1640–45. Oil on canvas. The National Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C. 1978.293.
PRO TIP: Notice how the Bibliography entry flips the creator's name (Last, First)? That's so the whole list stays nice and tidy for the alphabetizing gods!
Step 4: The Wild Card - The Object Has No Name or Creator!
What if you’re citing a super old piece, like a Roman coin or a tool, and no one knows who made it? Don't have a meltdown! This happens all the time.
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4.1. The 'No Creator' Power Play
If you don't have a creator, you just skip that part and start with the Title! If it doesn't have a formal title (like "Coin, Roman Empire"), you can use a general description.
Footnote Example (No Creator, No Official Title):
Roman Sestertius coin, c. 180 A.D., bronze, 1982.50.31, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY,
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/255013
In the Bibliography, you'd alphabetize this by the first major word of the title/description (in this case, "Roman").
Bibliography Example:
Roman Sestertius coin. c. 180 A.D. Bronze. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, NY. 1982.50.31.
Step 5: The Final Review - You Nailed It!
You've done it! You've successfully wrangled a piece of history into the Chicago Style citation cage. Now, go forth and write an awesome paper that’s also totally legitimate! Remember, being a good scholar means giving credit where credit is due. No one likes a source thief! ♂️
QuickTip: Stop scrolling fast, start reading slow.
Frequently Asked Citation Questions (The 'How To' Edition)
How to cite a museum exhibit instead of a single artifact?
You cite the exhibit like a museum-published work, focusing on the exhibit name, the museum, the dates it ran, and the URL if you found the info online.
How to cite an artifact I saw in person at a museum?
Treat it the same as an online source, but instead of a URL, you can put the city/state and the date you viewed it, like "Accessed October 2025."
How to handle a very long title for an artifact?
In the footnote, you can use a shortened version of the title after the first full citation. In the bibliography, you usually keep the full title.
How to cite an artifact in Chicago Style that is not a piece of art?
The formula is the same! Whether it's a tool, a piece of clothing, or a mummy, just fill in the blanks with the information you have (Creator, Title/Description, Date, Material, Location).
How to cite an image of an artifact from a book instead of a museum website?
You cite the book where you found the image, but add the word "Pl." (for Plate) or "Fig." (for Figure) and the number of the image/plate right before the page number in the footnote.
QuickTip: Read in order — context builds meaning.
How to cite an artifact with two known creators?
List both creators in the order they are provided, separated by the word "and" (e.g., "Jane Smith and John Doe").
How to cite an artifact that has an unknown date?
Use the abbreviation "n.d." (no date) in the place where the date usually goes, or use an approximate date with a "circa" abbreviation: "c. 1000 A.D."
How to easily remember the difference between a footnote and a bibliography entry?
A Footnote is Full of commas and has the creator's name in First, Last order. A Bibliography entry is Broken up by periods and has the creator's name in Backwards (Last, First) order.
How to cite a photograph of a historical place as an artifact?
Treat the photographer as the "Creator" (if known), and the title of the photo as the "Title." If the photographer is unknown, start with the photo's title or description.
How to use the Accession Number correctly in the citation?
The Accession Number should always be included if available because it's the most reliable way for someone else to find that exact object in the museum's records. Just drop it into the spot in the formula after the Material and before the Museum name (or near the end in the bibliography).
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