By Keyword
Begin a search with the most general term (for example, the word "Alva" could reference a person, or a ship, or an item owned by the person with the name). Descriptors of objects can also be used (for example, "Mahagony" for all objects made of that specific material).
By Date
To find items by date, searching by year is most effective (for example, "1900"). Alternately, items may be be sorted by date from the browse view or within a found set.
By Creator / Artist
To find items by their creator or an artist, one may use full or partial names (for example, "Ellery" rather than "William Ellery, Jr.") to return best results.
By Origin
To find items by their origin of creation, use geographical terms such as country or city names (for example, France or Newport, R.I.)