Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
CIRCA 1870s CDV W.P. GAUT OLD LADY IN MOURNING DRESS WITH GLASSES STERLING ILL.
CIRCA 1860s CDV COLONEL ALEXANDER RIDGWAY 2ND DEVONSHIRE ARTILLERY VOLUNTEER
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s D.S. PIERSON LAWYER & CIVIL WAR CONGRESSMAN FROM NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s ROCKWOOD YOUNG CROSS-EYED MAN WITH AUTISM NEW YORK
CIRCA 1870s CDV GERMAN EMPEROR FREDERICK III IN HUNTING CLOTHING WITH RIFLE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s BRACKBILL HANDSOME LITTLE PERSON MIDGET PERRYSVILLE PENN
CIRCA 1880s CDV OLD LADY IN BLACK DRESS THAT LOOKS LIKE A MAN ROGERS GUIHEN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1890s ALBANIAN GYPSY IN FANCY TRADITIONAL CLOTHING
CDV CIRCA 1890s "PRINCE CHARMING HOLDING BLACK SHOE" MAN IN TRADITIONAL CLOTHING
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s PRESIDENT RUTHERFORD B. HAYES UNPUBLISHED VIEW COLUMBUS
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s LOUIS MOORE QUEEN ALEXANDRA OF DENMARK ROYALTY ALBUM PRINT
CIRCA 1900s CDV TORA PETTERSON 2 LADIES HOLDING GUITAR AND BOOK OSTERSUND SWEDEN
CIRCA 1860s CDV LOCH LOMOND G.W. WILSON & CO. HISTORICAL
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s JOHNSON YOUNG BOYS IN WIG & DRESS CAZENOVIA NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s HUNTER HOLDING DOUBLE-BARREL SHOTGUN WITH DOG
CIRCA 1900s CDV HARALD ERIKSEN SWEDISH CALVALRY SOLDIER SKOFDE SWEDEN
CIRCA 1900s CDV ESTER BYQUIST SWEDISH CALVALRY SOLDIER KARLSBORG SWEDEN
CIRCA 1906 CDV SWEDISH SOLDIER HOLDING SWORD SWEDEN
CIRCA 1900s CDV HARALD ERIKSEN SWEDISH GENERAL IN UNIFORM SWEDEN
CIRCA 1880s CDV PAUL MULLER GERMAN SOLDIER HOLDING SWORD BERLIN GERMANY
CIRCA 1900s CDV ALFRED SJOBERG SWEDISH CALVALRY SOLDIER SKOFDE SWEDEN
CIRCA 1900s CDV ALFRED BACK SWEDISH SOLDIER GOTEBORG SWEDEN
CIRCA 1870s CDV GERMAN ROYALTY KAISER WILLIAM II BERLIN GERMANY
1888 CDV ST PETER FOURIER FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF NOTRE DAME NANCY FRANCE
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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