Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Merriman Two Cute Babies in Long White Gowns Toronto Ohio
Antique CDV F. Sheets Cute Baby in Coat And Boots Wellsville Ohio Portrait
Antique CDV B. Frank. Saylor & CO. Young Gorgeous Lady Lace Collar Lancaster PA
Antique CDV W. R. Appleton Young Handsome Man in Suit Watch Chain Lynn
Antique CDV A.M. Allen Young Gorgeous Lady Braided Hair Pottsville Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Young Lady Lizzie Young in Dress White Ruffled Collar Unmarked
Antique CDV A.M. Allen Young Lady in Plaid Dress Pottsville Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Cross Photo Cute Young Girl White Lace Collar Dress Salem Mass
Antique CDV Cute Baby in White Dress Sitting On Fringed Chair Unmarked
Antique CDV Old Lady in Dark Satin Dress With White Ruffled Collar Unmarked
Antique CDV George M. Bretz Cute Baby Harold Weiss Pottsville Pennsylvania
Antique CDV A.M. Allen Gorgeous Lady in Lace Collar Pottsville Pennsylvania
Antique CDV J. C. Fickes Young Handsome Man Suit Bow Tie Steubenville Ohio
Antique CDV E. M. White Gorgeous Young Lady in White Blouse Keene New Hampshire
Antique CDV Chas. A. Saylor Gorgeous Old Lady in Dress Reading Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Young Gorgeous Lady in Elaborate Lace Collar Floral Hair Unmarked
Antique CDV Richardson Gorgeous Lady in Lace Dress Brooklyn New York Portrait
Antique CDV Cute Baby in Long White Christening Gown Victorian Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Family Woman in Large Feathered Hat Boy in Lace Collar Baby Unmarked
Antique CDV Victorian Young Lady in High Collar Dress With Brooch Unmarked
Antique CDV J. R. Tankersley Handsome Young Man in Suit Bloomington Illinois
Antique CDV Jens Espersen Handsome Young Man in Suit Brudager Denmark
Antique CDV S. J. Priest Old Lady in Patterned Dress Barrow-In-Furness England
Antique CDV Young Handsome Man Wm. Palmer Aged 17 in Suit Bow Tie 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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