Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV S. M. Gillespie Gorgeous Young Lady Alice R. Surgiere New Castle PA
Antique CDV I. G. Owen Handsome Old Bearded Man in Suit Newton New Jersey
Antique CDV I. G. Owen Old Lady in Dress And Cap Standing By Chair New Jersey
Antique CDV Roof Handsome Young Man With Mustache in Suit Newton New Jersey
Antique CDV I. G. Owen Handsome Young Man in Suit Newton New Jersey Portrait
Antique CDV Chamberlain Old Lady in Dress Lace Collar Beaded Necklace Unmarked
Antique CDV E. F. Vogt Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Allegheny Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Victorian Lady in Dark Dress With Brooch And Buttons Unmarked
Antique CDV Harris Bro's Handsome Young Man in Suit Pinstripe Vest Tyrone PA
Antique CDV J. C. Batchelder Gorgeous Lady in Velvet Trim Dress Nashua
Antique CDV H. T. Harpham Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Tyrone Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Sperber Old Lady in Striped Dress With Lace Bow Allegheny PA
Antique CDV Fritz Fernsner Gorgeous Young Sulzbach, Germany & Forbach, France
Antique CDV H. T. Harpham Two Young Women And Boy in Dresses Tyrone Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Handsome Young Man Curly Hair Suit Tie Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Stone Young Gorgeous Lady Lace Collar Potsdam New York Portrait
Antique CDV Geo. L. Ellis Gorgeous Young Lady Lace Dress Lynn Massachusetts
Antique CDV Horton & Davis Old Lady in Lace Cap Greenfield, Massachusetts
Antique CDV Kingman & Bradford Old Man in Suit Greenfield Massachusetts
Antique CDV Handsome Bearded Man in Suit With Boutonniere Pocket Square Unmarked
Antique CDV Portable Picture Palace Gorgeous Young Lady Ruffled Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV A. J. Simpson Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Bearded Man Lowell
Antique CDV City Gallery Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Reading Pennsylvania
Antique CDV J. J. Mcfadden Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Millersburg Ohio
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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