matplotlib: how to draw a rectangle on image

You can add a Rectangle patch to the matplotlib Axes.

For example (using the image from the tutorial here):

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.patches as patches
from PIL import Image

im = Image.open('stinkbug.png')

# Create figure and axes
fig, ax = plt.subplots()

# Display the image
ax.imshow(im)

# Create a Rectangle patch
rect = patches.Rectangle((50, 100), 40, 30, linewidth=1, edgecolor="r", facecolor="none")

# Add the patch to the Axes
ax.add_patch(rect)

plt.show()