Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s CUTE BABY IN STROLLER CIVIL WAR ERA INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s HAFER YOUNG BOY IN MILITARY SCHOOL UNIFORM READING PA.
CDV CIRCA 1870s HISTORY PROFESSOR WILLIAM CHANNING RUSSEL CORNELL UNIVERSITY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HUGH KILPATRICK CIVIL WAR MAJOR GENERAL ALBUM PRINT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s JOHN TRAUTWINE AMERICAN CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s E.H. CURTISS CUTE YOUNG GIRL WITH HER DOLL NEW LONDSON OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s EVERETT & LINDSEY HANDSOME POLICE OFFICER CONCORD N.H.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s TWO BOYS IN DRESSES 2C CIVIL WAR TAX STAMP JERSEY CITY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s MAJOR-GENERAL B.F. BUTLER CIVIL WAR ALBUM PRINT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s MAJOR GENERAL SHERIDAN CIVIL WAR ALBUM PRINT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s MAJOR-GENERAL ROSEERANS CIVIL WAR ALBUMN PRINT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s MAJOR-GENERAL A.E. BURNSIDE CIVIL WAR ALBUM PRINT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s ADMIRAL FARRAGUT CIVIL WAR ALBUM PRINT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HUGH KILPATRICK CIVIL WAR MAJOR-GENERAL ALBUM PRINT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s N.P. BANKS CIVIL WAR MAJOR-GENERAL SPEAKER OF HOUSE
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s JAMES SHIELDS UNION CIVIL WAR BRIGADIER-GENERAL ALBUM PRINT
TWO ANTIQUE CDVS CIRCA 1860s SALISBURY CATHEDRAL IN ENGLAND UNITED KINGDOM UK
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s MRS. DR. J. HITCHCOCK CANTON NEW YORK CANTON NEW YORK RARE!
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s HOWELL GORGEOUS YOUNG THEATER ACTRESS WESTERN NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s HOWELL GORGOEUS YOUNG THEATER ACTRESS ALEXANDRIA NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s GORGEOUS YOUNG ACTRESS MISS NEILSON BROADWAY NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s HOWELL GORGEOUS THEATER ACTRESS GRACE ROBINSON NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s HOWELL GORGEOUS YOUNG ACTRESS IDA YEARENCE NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s HOWELL GORGEOUS YOUNG ACTRESS ETHEL NORMAN NEW YORK
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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