Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV F.A. Wilkinson Handsome Young Man in Suit Tom Huddersfield England
Antique CDV H. M. Rand Handsome Young Man in Suit Tie Bridgewater Massachusetts
Antique CDV H. S. Drake Handsome Young Man in Suit South Framingham
Antique CDV Handsome Bearded Man With Mustache And Goatee in Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV Brooks' Young Lady Gorgeous Curls Patterned Dress Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV Smith Handsome Man in Suit With Sideburns Chicago Illinois Portrait
Antique CDV L. N. Schmidt Cute Baby in Checkered Dress Chicago Illinois
Antique CDV A. O. Reed Handsome Young Boy in Suit Bow Tie Brunswick Maine
Antique CDV Cute Baby Infant in White Dress With Bow Headband Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Victorian Young Woman With Freckles in Patterned Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV Cute Baby in Checkered Patterned Top Victorian Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV C. C. Gardner Handsome Young Man in Suit Great Falls New Hampshire
Antique CDV Wm. T. Crouch Cute Baby in White Dress Belleville Illinois
Antique CDV W.G.C. Kimball Handsome Young Boy in Suit Concord New Hampshire
Antique CDV Douglass Cute Victorian Young Girl Plaid Dress Brooklyn New York
Antique CDV A. B. Wells Handsome Young Man in Suit East Randolph New York
Antique CDV Woodward & Son Gorgeous Lady in Dress Large Bow Taunton, Mass
Antique CDV C. R. Clark Cute Young Boy in Suit Large Bow Tie Troy New York
Antique CDV Five Cute Children & Baby in Victorian Dresses Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV J. W. Perkins Young Gorgeous Lady in Pleated Dress Westminster
Antique CDV W. S. Warren Gorgeous Lady in Lace Dress Boston Massachusetts
Antique CDV Baldwin Cute Baby in Long White Dress Chicago Illinois
Antique CDV A.B. Cross Young Gorgeous Lady in Lace Collar Dress Salem
Antique CDV O. Polder Handsome Young Man in Suit Corry Pennsylvania
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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