Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Carl Ruf Gorgeous Young Lady in Dress With Locket Karlsruhe Germany
Antique CDV Julius Schafer Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Barmen Germany
Antique CDV H. Hoffmann Cute Baby in Long White Dress Shenandoah Pennsylvania
Antique CDV W. J. Lochman Young Gorgeous Lady Elaborate Hair Hamburg, Penn
Antique CDV W. Wm. Appel Young Lady in Buttoned Dress Hamburg Pennsylvania
Antique CDV City Gallery Handsome Young Man Mustache Reading Pennsylvania
Antique CDV L. K. Brunner Handsome Young Man Suit Bowtie Lansdale Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Granger Old Lady in Dress With Lace Scarf Lebanon New Hampshire
Antique CDV Cute Baby in White Dress & Young Boy With Large Bow Tie Unmarked
Antique CDV Fritz Fernsner Gorgeous Lady in Decorative Dress Sulzbach & Forbach
Antique CDV Theo. Cook Handsome Young Boy in Suit Book Hartford Michigan
Antique CDV W. H. Hoffmann Young Handsome Man in Suit Shenandoah Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Victorian Portrait Young Handsome Man in Suit Holding Hat Unmarked
Antique CDV W.A. Apcar Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Somerville New Jersey
Antique CDV Wenderoth Taylor & Brown Handsome Man With Mustache Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV The Cheapside Photo CO Two Young Ladies Wearing Hats Southampton UK
Antique CDV Anton Reischig Young Handsome Man St. Johann Saarbrucken Germany
Antique CDV E. W. Tallant Handsome Man With Mustache Lowell Massachusetts
Antique CDV C. Hayden Lady in Dress Lace Collar Brooch Chelsea Massachusetts
Antique CDV M. Guttenberg Gorgeous Lady in Patterned Dress Bristol England
Antique CDV Lady in Plaid Dress With Necklace Victorian Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Brigham Young Handsome Man in Suit And Tie Dover New Hampshire
Antique CDV J.A. French Gorgeous Lady in Dress With Bow Keene New Hampshire
Antique CDV S.O. Hersey Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Montpelier Vermont
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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