Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Gorgeous Lady in Dress With Long Braids Providence Rhode Island
Antique CDV F. Gutekunst Handsome Old Man in Suit Sideburns Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV W.P. Hatfield Old Lady in Dress Large Bow Brooch Canal Fulton Ohio
Antique CDV Huff. Young Handsome Man in Suit Bow Tie Stevens Point Wisconsin
Antique CDV Huff Young Lady Gorgeous Lace Collar Stevens Point Wisconsin
Antique CDV Cute Young Girl in Victorian Pleated Dress Lace-Up Boots Unmarked
Antique CDV Victorian Old Lady in Dress With Lace Collar Unmarked
Antique CDV F. Gutekunst Handsome Young Man in Suit Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Rhoads Young Gorgeous Lady in Lace Dress Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Courtney Victorian Old Lady in Dark Dress Lace Collar Canton Ohio
Antique CDV Gorgeous Victorian Lady in Dark Silk Dress Standing Unmarked
Antique CDV Emil Eichacker Husband & Wife Romantic Couple Mustache Saarbrucken
Antique CDV Handsome Man With Mustache & Gorgeous Wife Romantic Couple Unmarked
Antique CDV Two Cute Young Girls in Matching Striped Ruffle Dresses Unmarked
Antique CDV C. Romler Woman And Cute Baby in Checkered Dress Chemnitz Germany
Antique CDV London Stereoscopic CO Handsome Young Boy P. St. C. Pemberton London
Antique CDV Louis Walker Cute Baby in White Dress Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Wenderoth & Taylor Handsome Young Man Suit Hat Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV T. Kay Handsome Man With Mustache & Goatee Suit Liverpool England
Antique CDV Young Gorgeous Lady Curly Hair Ruffled Collar Fringe Scarf Unmarked
Antique CDV Bach & Rouvroy Handsome Young Man Suit Bowtie Chemnitz Germany
Antique CDV L. Buchfeldt Gorgeous Lady in Dark Dress Lace Bow Dresden Germany
Antique CDV Mahan & Keller Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV Old Lady Hand On Chin Dark Dress White Collar Studio 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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