Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV A. B. Melendy Handsome Bearded Man In Suit Manitowoc Wisconsin
Antique CDV F. Gutekunst Mother Holding Cute Baby Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Veeder Handsome Man IN Suit Plaid Bow Tie Albany New York
Antique CDV Draper & Husted Handsome Man With Mustache Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Antique CDV N.C. Sanborn Handsome Bearded Man In Suit Bow Tie Lowell
Antique CDV Fowler Handsome Man With Mustache & Goatee IN Suit Indianapolis IN
Antique CDV E. H. Paige Handsome Man With Mustache In Suit Buffalo New York
Antique CDV Otto C. Pasel Handsome Man With Mustache IN Suit St. Paul Minnesota
Antique CDV Old Handsome Bearded Man In Suit And Bowtie Unmarked
Antique CDV John Hodges Handsome Man with Mustache in Suit Polka Paw Paw Mich
Antique CDV Victorian Handsome Old Bearded Man Judge Booth IN Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV Ross Hall Handsome Man With Mustache In Suit Millersburg Ohio
Antique CDV Palmquist & CO. Handsome Man With Mustache IN Suit St. Paul
Antique CDV Ross Hall Handsome Bearded Man In Suit Millersburg Ohio
Antique CDV A. W. Warrington Handsome Young Man With Mustache Oskaloosa Iowa
Antique CDV Otto C. Pasel Handsome Man With Mustache IN Suit St. Paul Minnesota
Antique CDV Handsome Old Man With Mustache Striped Suit Plaid Tie Unmarked
Antique CDV Handsome Man With Goatee And Mustache in Suit Bow Tie Unmarked
Antique CDV Hurd Handsome Man With Mustache And Goatee Suit North Adams Mass
Antique CDV Gorgeous Young Lady in Patterned Dress With White Belt Unmarked
Antique CDV S. Bullock Gorgeous Young Lady Ruffled Dress Binghamton New York
Antique CDV Young Handsome Man in Suit And Long Coat Victorian Studio Unmarked
Antique CDV Handsome Bearded Man in Patterned Shirt Suit Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV J. B. Kirby Young Lady in Dark Dress Susquehanna Depot Pennsylvania
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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