Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV W. P. Egbert Young Gorgeous Lady Curly Hair Davenport Iowa Jewelry
Antique CDV Young Lady in Striped Dress Elaborate Victorian Hairstyle Unmarked
Antique CDV Wm. G. Grotecloss Young Lady in Dress Bows Earrings New York NY
Antique CDV A. J. Kenyon Cute Young Girl in Dress Port Leyden New York
Antique CDV Gorgeous Lady in Dark Dress With Buttons White Collar Unmarked
Antique CDV H. S. Deibert Cute Baby in Long White Gown Schuylkill Haven PA
Antique CDV Victorian Cute Young Girl in Plaid Dress With Fur Muff Unmarked
Antique CDV J. Kirk Lady in Dark Dress With White Collar Newark New Jersey
Antique CDV Gorgeous Lady in Victorian Dress With Buttons Standing Unmarked
Antique CDV F. H. Cuypers Gorgeous Young Lady in Dress Newark New Jersey
Antique CDV Gorgeous Lady Hannah Smith Strait in Full Victorian Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV R. A. Burke Young Girl in Dress Hair Bow Pittsburg Pennsylvania
Antique CDV A. L. Lehnkering Gorgeous Lady in Dress Rochester New York
Antique CDV Young Handsome Man Joe Watson in Suit Bowtie Victorian Unmarked
Antique CDV H.M. Finley Cute Baby in White Lace Dress Canandaigua New York
Antique CDV S. K. Pannebecker Cute Baby in Long White Gown Nanticoke PA
Antique CDV Young Lady in Dress With Book Victorian Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Gorgeous Lady in Victorian Dress With Lace Collar Necklace Unmarked
Antique CDV Dabbs Cute Young Boy in Suit Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Portrait
Antique CDV Vaughan Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit New York New York
Antique CDV Gorgeous Young Lady Ruth Gleason in Dress With Large Bow Unmarked
Antique CDV Young Handsome Man in Suit With Watch Chain Floral Backdrop Unmarked
Antique CDV Wm. Mchenry Gorgeous Lady Lace Collar Hair Comb Freeport Illinois
Antique CDV Merriman Two Cute Babies in Long White Gowns Toronto Ohio
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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