Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Platt Cute Young Girl in Lace Dress And Boots Sandusky Ohio
Antique CDV R. Randby Gorgeous Young Lady Dress White Bow Drammen Norway
Antique CDV Rude Gorgeous Lady in Puffed Sleeve Dress Christiania Norway
Antique CDV R. Randby Young Lady Gorgeous Ruffled Dress Drammen Norway
Antique CDV R. Hammarlund Gorgeous Lady in Dress With Lace Collar Unmarked
Antique CDV E. M. Van Aken Gorgeous Young Lady in Dress Bow Lowville New York
Antique CDV Old Lady in Striped Dress With Brooch Sarah Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Carl Voelker Handsome Man in Suit Bowtie Egg Harbor City New Jersey
Antique CDV Handsome Young Boy in Plaid Checkered Suit Seated Chair Unmarked
Antique CDV H. S. & G. E. Stevens Gorgeous Young Lady Keene New Hampshire
Antique CDV Fitton Cute Young Girl Laura in Dress Worcester Massachusetts
Antique CDV Lehnkering Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Rochester New York
Antique CDV Burlington Photo. CO. Gorgeous Young Lady Burlington Vermont
Antique CDV Henning's Art Gallery Lady Samantha Mant Johnstown Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Jacobsen Husband Wife Romantic Couple Bearded Man Stavanger Norway
Antique CDV E. Bookhout Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Williamsburgh New York
Antique CDV Gorgeous Young Lady in Plaid Dress With Brooch Unmarked
Antique CDV Victorian Portrait Gorgeous Lady Large White Ruffled Bow Unmarked
Antique CDV Gorgeous Young Lady in Ruffled Dress With Brooch Earrings Unmarked
Antique CDV Partridge Handsome Young Man in Suit Bow Tie Wheeling West Virginia
Antique CDV Young Lady Sarah Sallie King Cross Necklace Patterned Bow Unmarked
Antique CDV J. J. Barr Gorgeous Lady in Dark Dress With Brooch Beverly Ohio
Antique CDV John Cadwallader Young Gorgeous Lady in Dress Detroit Michigan
Antique CDV Alb. Fraatz Young Gorgeous Lady in High Collar Darmstadt Germany
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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