While the larger vision for Cameo Times is explained in the Welcome section of the Home Page, the primary purpose of this site is to provide a way to identify the subjects on cameos.  Cameos with figures or scenes that are mythological, allegorical or religious virtually always include in the composition features, or attributes, that are there specifically for purposes of identification.  A codified symbolic language was employed, so that a figure could be, not just a beautiful woman, but recognizably the goddess Diana, or Hope, or St. Agnes.

There are several ways to look up cameo subjects:

• In Articles Currently Available, below, check the appropriate picture gallery for a cameo that resembles yours.  If you spot one, click on the thumbnail to go directly to the Profile.  Some articles and their associated thumbnails are available only to logged in registered users.
  
• If you do not already have an idea of the identity of your cameo's subject, pick out an element of it, for example 'anchor', then go to the appropriate section of the alphabetical index under the top menu item KEY.  If a Profile is already available on the identified subject possibility, clicking on the link will take you to it in a separate window, so that it is always easy to return to the KEY if the Profile is not the right one for you.  Links back to the KEY are to the right of every Profile as well.  If you cannot find a specific feature, e.g., Eagle, try looking for a more general term, in this case, BIRD.
  
• By placing your cursor over the small icon of a magnifying glass to the right of the top menu and clicking, you will open the SEARCH box, where you can type in one or more words describing what you are looking for.  Hit 'Enter' when you are done typing.  The search function will find both pictures and articles, listing the pictures first.  The title of each search result acts as a link.
• If you think you may know who or what is depicted on your cameo, you can go directly to the top menu item PROFILES.  Many of the most common subjects are already there, and new articles are always in the works.
• Text and photos with a frame in this color act as links to related material, both within Cameo Times and on other sites.

And of course, you can always just browse for enjoyment.

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