Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Old Lady Hand On Chin Dark Dress White Collar Studio Unmarked
Antique CDV Guido Magerlein Old Handsome Man With Mustache Chemnitz Germany
Antique CDV Cute Young Boy in Suit Thinking Pose With Hat On Table Unmarked
Antique CDV L. Herzog Handsome Young Man in Suit Cane Top Hat Bremen Germany
Antique CDV Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Victorian Studio Photo Unmarked
Antique CDV A. L. Otto Old Handsome Man With Mustache Prague Czech Republic
Antique CDV Bach & Rouvroy Old Bearded Man in Suit Cross Chain Chemnitz Germany
Antique CDV Charles Sherman Handsome Young Man in Suit And Bow Tie Unknown
Antique CDV Bach & Rouvroy Young Gorgeous Lady Ruffled Dress Chemnitz Germany
Antique CDV G.W. Becker Two Gorgeous Young Ladies Victorian Dresses Chemnitz
Antique CDV J. Pennison Handsome Bearded Man in Patterned Vest Cleveland Ohio
Antique CDV Guido Magerlein Gorgeous Lady in Dress With Book Chemnitz Germany
Antique CDV Brockway Cute Baby Frank George in Lace Dress Mexico New York
Antique CDV Handsome Young Man in Suit & Young Lady in Dress Husband Unmarked
Antique CDV Bach & Rouvroy Cute Young Girl Dress Wicker Chair Chemnitz Germany
Antique CDV Victorian Portrait Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV J. Loeffler Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Staten Island NY
Antique CDV Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Man Mustache Fringed Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV Young Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Watch Chain Unmarked
Antique CDV J. M. Elliott Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV F. Wolfram Gorgeous Young Lady Dress White Collar Dresden Germany
Antique CDV W. Hoffert Cute Young Girl in Dress Sitting in Chair Dresden Germany
Antique CDV F. S. Keeler Cute Baby Sitting in Long White Dress Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV C. Romler Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Zwickau Germany
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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