Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Religious Art Descent From The Cross Painting Reproduction Unmarked
Antique CDV O. H. Warren Gorgeous Old Lady in Lace Dress Lowell Massachusetts
Antique CDV Wm. Quatermass Cute Baby in Long White Dress Pontiac Michigan
Antique CDV Frank Z. Fritz Cute Baby in White Dress Lambertville New Jersey
Antique CDV C. Romler Old Handsome Man in Suit Chemnitz & Dresden Germany
Antique CDV Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Man With Mustache in Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV A.W. Jordan Cute Young Girl Hair Bow Necklace New York New York
Antique CDV A. Polaczek Young Gorgeous Lady in Patterned Dress Standing Unmarked
Antique CDV J. J. Millikin Cute Baby J. Clayde Brooks Bellefontaine Ohio
Antique CDV G. Grelling Gorgeous Young Lady in Ruffled Collar Detroit Michigan
Antique CDV J. Muth Handsome Young Man With Mustache in Suit Mexico New York
Antique CDV H.O. Bly Gorgeous Lady in Victorian Dress Hanover New Hampshire
Antique CDV B. Billian Cute Child in Lace Collar Dress Doylestown Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Warren Handsome Bearded Man in Frock Coat Suit Lowell Massachusetts
Antique CDV Handsome Bearded Man in Suit & Patterned Tie Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV A. Winkelmann Lady in Dark Dress Seated At Table Teplitz Austria
Antique CDV Handsome Young Man in Suit Wavy Hair Victorian Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Meason Two Young Women in Fine Victorian Dresses LA Crosse Wisconsin
Antique CDV J. Mitchell Handsome Young Man in Suit New Castle Pennsylvania
Antique CDV J.C. Haring Gorgeous Lady in Dark Dress With Chain Massillon Ohio
Antique CDV W. J. Lochman Gorgeous Lady in Dress Scarf Hamburg Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Old Lady in Dark Dress Seated At Table Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Young Gorgeous Lady Curly Hair Striped Dress Ruffled Collar Unmarked
Antique CDV W.R.H. Rhoads Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Philadelphia, Penn
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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