Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV L. D. Judkins Old Lady in Dress White Bow Haverhill Massachusetts
Antique CDV Young Handsome Man in Suit With Bow Tie Seated Fringed Unmarked
Antique CDV Young Handsome Man in Suit Wavy Hair Victorian Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Morgan & Kenyon Old Lady in Dress Brooch New London Connecticut
Antique CDV M. F. King Young Lady With Mustache in High Collar Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV Wells & Jewett Gorgeous Young Lady Polka Dot Dress Macon Missouri
Antique CDV Christ. Hoffmaster Victorian Lady in Dress Clarence Iowa Studio
Antique CDV Theo. F. Chase Gorgeous Lady in Dark Dress Providence Rhode Island
Antique CDV Portrait Gorgeous Lady in Victorian Dress Large Bow Tie Unmarked
Antique CDV S. P. Burnham Lady in Dark Dress White Collar Norwich Vermont
Antique CDV Victorian Young Lady in Gingham Checkered Dress Brooch Unmarked
Antique CDV Knowles & Hillman Young Lady in Plaid Dress New Bedford Mass.
Antique CDV Gorgeous Young Lady in Dark Dress White Collar Hair Unmarked
Antique CDV W. L. Meserve Gorgeous Lady in Patterned Dress Manchester
Antique CDV Gorgeous Lady in Decorative Lace Collar Dress Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV W. Wellington Carleton Young Lady Unique Hair Tassels Saco Maine
Antique CDV E. B. Winger Young Lady in Dress With Large Bow Green Castle PA
Antique CDV A. B. Crosby Young Gorgeous Lady in Plaid Dress Lewiston Maine
Antique CDV Patton & Dietrich Handsome Young Man in Suit Reading Pennsylvania
Antique CDV W. H. S. Gross Cute Baby Girl in White Ruffle Dress Allentown PA
Antique CDV Alexander & Stevens Lady in Dark Dress Brooch Morristown New Jersey
Antique CDV Geo. W. Loud Gorgeous Young Lady in Dark Dress New York New York
Antique CDV Gorgeous Young Lady Ringlet Curls White Collar Earrings Unmarked
Antique CDV Stark's Picture Palace Gorgeous Lady Striped Dress Manchester
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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