Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Charles F. Lamb Old Gorgeous Lady in Dark Dress Fitchburg, Mass
Antique CDV A. H. Locke Old Lady Ruffled Dress Tassel Jabot Athol Massachusetts
Antique CDV French & Sawyer Gorgeous Lady in Dress With Bow Keene New Hampshire
Antique CDV Old Lady in Dark Dress Victorian Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Old Lady in Dark Dress With White Lace Collar Victorian Unmarked
Antique CDV S. L. Dellinger Gorgeous Lady in Light Dress Marietta Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Purdy & Frear Young Gorgeous Lady in Dark Dress Ithaca New York
Antique CDV Old Lady Electra R. Hull in Dark Dress Victorian Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Geo. G. Johnson Young Gorgeous Lady Curly Hair Cleveland Ohio
Antique CDV C.R. Bronson Cute Baby in Long White Gown Bridgeport Connecticut
Antique CDV Victorian Portrait Young Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV Wm. L. Gill Young Lady in Checkered Dress Lancaster Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Wm. L. Gill Young Handsome Man in Suit Lancaster Pennsylvania
Antique CDV John P. Flynn Gorgeous Young Lady Lace Collar Salem New Jersey
Antique CDV Wm. Snell Cute Young Boy in Suit Holding Hat Chester Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Joseph M. Maybin Young Handsome Man in Suit Wilmington Delaware
Antique CDV D. A. Simons Cute Baby in White Dress Manchester New Hampshire
Antique CDV M.S. Lamhrey Handsome Young Man Mustache in Suit Fisherville
Antique CDV Simpson Bros Lady Wearing Fancy Hat And Coat Toronto Ontario
Antique CDV Old Lady in Dress With Large Bow & Bonnet Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Simpson Bros Gorgeous Lady High Collar Dress Toronto Ontario Canada
Antique CDV Watts & Osburn Cute Baby George H. Warfield Rochester New York
Antique CDV T. N. Phillips Handsome Young Boy Curly Hair Bow Tie West Lynn
Antique CDV Gorgeous Young Lady in Dark Dress With Brooch Unmarked
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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