Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV 1870s Handsome Man Mustache Bow Tie Suit Jacket Portrait
Antique CDV 1881 E Herbert Hayden Woman Lace Bow Tie Winchendon
Antique CDV Albert Mathiesen Woman Cross Necklace Trondhjem Norway
Antique CDV 1880s Rude Woman High Lace Collar Brooch Christiania Norway
Antique CDV 1880s Rude Young Woman Brooch Drammen Christiania Norway
Antique CDV A. M. Blecker Handsome Young Man Bow Tie Myerstown PA
Antique CDV 1870s Woman Hair Bow Lace Collar Long Chain Necklace Portrait
Antique CDV 1870s Handsome Man Goatee Beard Bow Tie Suit Portrait
Antique CDV 1880s Entrekin Woman Curly Hair Earring Manayunk Philadelphia
Antique CDV Gutekunst Baby M. A. Workman 13 Months Old Chair Phila PA
Antique CDV 1870s G. E. Gilchrest Young Man Bow Tie Lowell Massachusetts
Antique CDV Handsome Young Man Bust Portrait Suit Tie Watch Chain Vignette
Antique CDV 1870s Handsome Man Chin Beard Bow Tie Vest Suit Portrait
Antique CDV Kimball & Sons Young Man Vignette Portrait Concord New Hampshire
Antique CDV 1880s Aug Haraldsson Elegant Woman Brooch Christiania Norway
Antique CDV Handsome Young Man Curly Hair Corduroy Jacket Bow Tie Portrait
Antique CDV G. W. Chase Young Boy in Three Piece Suit Newark Ohio Portrait
Antique CDV 1880s Handsome Man Mustache Suit Vest Tie Portrait Photo
Antique CDV Jas. M. Turner Susan Woman Braided Hair Boston
Antique CDV 1870s Young Woman Dark Buttoned Dress Curly Hair Portrait
Antique CDV 1870s Merritt Walrath Young Man Velvet Collar Coat Bow Tie
Antique CDV 1880s Young Man Monocle Eyeglass Sideburns Suit Tie Portrait
Antique CDV G. T. Y. Dickinson Young Man Suit Tie Sheffield England
Antique CDV J Bickerstaffe Elegant Woman Pearl Necklace Southport UK
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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