An image-based information retrieval system, including a mobile telephone, a remote recognition server, and a remote media server, the mobile telephone having a built-in camera and a communication link for transmitting an image from the built-in camera to the remote recognition server and for receiving mobile media content from the remote media server, the remote recognition server for matching an image from the mobile telephone with an object representation in a database and forwarding an associated text identifier to the remote media server, and the remote media server for forwarding mobile media content to the mobile telephone based on the associated text identifier.