Welcome to the National Portrait Gallery’s webpage for National History Day! At the National Portrait Gallery, we’re excited to help teens prepare for their National History Day projects by providing access to our collections and resources that support their research and final project. Below, you’ll find information about our collections, key words to deepen your understanding of our collection, research tips, and more!
Key Words and Citations
Learn the key terms that are used to describe a work of art in a museum:
Portrait: A likeness or image of a person that is created by an artist
Museum label: A written explanation of an artwork (installed next to the artwork)
Image: A picture of something or someone
Sitter/Subject: The person (or people) in a portrait
Symbol: Something representing something else by association; objects, characters, or other concrete representations of abstract ideas, concepts, or events
To learn more key vocabulary terms please visit our Key Terms Guide
How to cite a work of art
MLA Style: To cite a piece of artwork, such as a photograph, painting, or sculpture, apply the following MLA guidelines: Artist’s full name (last name first), complete title of the artwork in italics, date of creation, medium (i.e., oil painting, sculpture, photograph), name of institution that currently houses the piece and location of institution.