Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Gustav Dahms Standing Man Suit Neal Venard Davenport
Antique CDV E.H. Alley Young Man Bowtie Velvet Collar Suit Toledo OH
Antique CDV E. L. Eaton Young Woman Oval Portrait Hat Omaha NE
Antique CDV Geo. H. Wood Older Man Suit Bow Tie Towanda PA PA
Antique CDV John Daily Elderly Woman Bonnet Shawl Dress Lebanon PA
Antique CDV Henderson Young Man Dotted Polka Dot Tie Bow St Paul Photo Car
Antique CDV C. M. Pierce Baby Tinted Pink Dress Carriage Stroller Leominster
Antique CDV Moulthrop & Williams Young Man Frock Coat New Haven
Antique CDV S. Swaine Beard Man Bow Tie Suit Rochester NH Portrait Photograph
Antique CDV E. M. White Man Mustache Lapel Suit Tie Keene N. H. Photo
Antique CDV J. G. Ellinwood Handsome Young Man Suit Manchester
Antique CDV W. D. Chandler Man Large Mustache St. Albans VT Photo
Antique CDV L. T. Sparhawk Young Man Mustache Bow Tie West Randolph
Antique CDV Robert F Hughes Young Man Bow Tie Suit Toledo OH Studio Photo
Antique CDV Fletcher's Star Gallery Handsome Man Mustache Bowtie Grand Rapids
Antique CDV Hopkins & CO. Man Long Beard Suit Portrait Tecumseh Mich.
Antique CDV Packard Handsome Man Mustache Side Profile Kalamazoo Mich
Antique CDV Udell Young Man Suit Patterned Tie Three Rivers Mich
Antique CDV A. Sheldon Man Mustache Suit Vest Tie Cleveland OH
Antique CDV W.D. Smith Handsome Man Goatee Beard Mustache Newark OH
Antique CDV Geo. R. Elliott & CO. Bearded Man Profile Suit Columbus OH
Antique CDV Chas G Crane Standing Man Long Coat Arch St Philadelphia PA Photo
Antique CDV A. J. DE Morat Handsome Man Mustache Bow Tie Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV Isaac S Lachman Seated Man Sideburns Pottstown PA
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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