Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Frank Rowell Elderly Woman Lace Bonnet Hair Net Boston
Antique CDV J A Scholten Man Beard Bow Tie Suit St Louis
Antique CDV S. P. Davis Young Man Suit Bowtie Danielsonville Conn
Antique CDV Wheeler Elderly Woman Girl Dress Bonnet West Meriden Conn
Antique CDV G. N. Granniss Elderly Man Seated Suit Cravat Waterbury
Antique CDV Beers & Mansfield Middle-Aged Man Suit New Haven
Antique CDV A. W. Wood Bearded Man Vest Suit St. Louis MO Photo
Antique CDV Carleton Man Curly Hair Mustache Suit Saco me
Antique CDV Richard Walzl Toddler Child Dress Sash Pose Baltimore
Antique CDV Hazelton Seated Woman Crinoline Dress Boston MA
Antique CDV J H Dodge Handsome Bearded Man Bowtie Bust Portrait Boston
Antique CDV Johnson's Studio Young Woman Long Curls Pontiac MI
Antique CDV Johnson's Studio Young Woman Long Ringlet Hair Pontiac MI
Antique CDV A. B. Farrar Young Man Fringed Armrest Chair Bangor
Antique CDV W. Curtis Handsome Man Beard Suit Bow Tie Lewiston me me Photo
Antique CDV J W Chase Toddler Baby Sitting Floral Armchair Buchanan
Antique CDV N. W. Smith Group Portrait Men Women Fostoria O. OH Photo
Antique CDV Edward Fleischer Seated Man Mustache Suit Jacket Canton Ft Wayne
Antique CDV Wm Pierce Seated Man Mutton Chops Beard Suit Brunswick
Antique CDV J V Cookingham Man Full Beard Suit Portrait Jackson Mich MI
Antique CDV J.H. Lamson Mother Baby Child Holding Head Portland me
Antique CDV Sam'l Armstrong Bearded Man Suit Portrait WA IA
Antique CDV H. D. Keller Woman Full Length Dress Wapello IA
Antique CDV Wm. Miller Standing Woman Plaid Dress Wicker Chair Burlington IA
The carte de visite (CDV) is a small albumen photograph mounted on a stiff card the size of a calling card. First proposed by Louis Dodero in 1851 and patented in France by André Disdéri in 1854, CDVs became a worldwide craze after Disdéri photographed Emperor Napoleon III in 1859 — and stayed in production into the 1920s, collected and pasted into family albums by the millions.
HistoryOrigin & era
CDVs are produced from a glass-plate negative printed onto thin albumen paper, then trimmed and pasted to a card mount. Studios printed them by the dozen; the same sitter could order several copies of the same exposure to hand out. The format was largely displaced by the larger cabinet card from the 1880s onward, though CDV-sized prints continued to be made by smaller studios and itinerant photographers into the 1920s.
IdentificationHow to spot a CDV
- Card mount roughly 2½ × 4 inches.
- Albumen print — slight surface gloss, often warm brown or sepia tones.
- Studio imprint usually on the back (photographer + city).
- Square-cornered mounts are earlier (c. 1860s); rounded corners and decorated backs come in later.
- Tax revenue stamps on the back date it to 1864–1866 (U.S. Civil War tax).
CDV sizes
CDVs are largely standardized — the mount size barely varies — but the photo on the mount and the mount stock evolved over time.
| Format | Inches | Millimeters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard CDV mount | 2½ × 4 in | 64 × 100 mm | Universal mount size from the 1860s on. |
| Albumen print on mount | ≈ 2⅛ × 3½ in | ≈ 54 × 89 mm | Photo trimmed to fit the mount with a small border. |
| Victoria (mini-CDV) | 3¼ × 5 in | 83 × 127 mm | Brief 1870s variant — slightly larger than standard. |
Common questions
What is a CDV photograph?
A carte de visite (CDV) is a small albumen photograph mounted on a card the size of a calling card — roughly 2½ × 4 inches. The format was first proposed by Louis Dodero in 1851 and patented in France by André Disdéri in 1854. CDVs were the dominant portrait format from the early 1860s through the 1870s and continued to be made into the 1920s.
How can I tell if a CDV is from the Civil War era?
A revenue tax stamp on the back dates a CDV to between August 1864 and August 1866 — the only window when the U.S. taxed photographs. Square corners, plain mounts, and two-line photographer imprints also point to the 1860s; rounded corners and elaborate decorated backs are 1870s and later.
How much is an antique CDV worth?
Common 1870s studio portraits typically run $5–$25, while Civil War soldier images, identified subjects, occupational portraits, and outdoor scenes can run from $75 into the thousands. Condition, identification, and historical interest of the sitter drive value far more than age alone.
Are CDVs and cabinet cards the same thing?
No — they share the albumen process but cabinet cards are larger (about 4¼ × 6½ inches on heavier card stock) and came into vogue in the late 1860s. CDVs and cabinet cards coexisted from roughly 1866 into the 1890s before cabinets took over the standard portrait market.
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