Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Robert Pratchett Man Mustache High Collar Sheffield UK Portrait
Antique CDV 1880s Handsome Young Man Double Breasted Coat Vest Portrait
Antique CDV 1870s W Phelps Woman Velvet Dress Lace Collar Tufted Chair
Antique CDV 1870s Stuart Five Children Group Portrait Glasgow Scotland
Antique CDV 1860s London School Of Photography Man Plaid Pants London UK
Antique CDV 1870s James Wright Mrs Rogerson Blackpool Heywood Portrait
Antique CDV Unmarked
Antique CDV 1870 F. Konig Young Man Arms Crossed Suit Bowtie Hamburg
Antique CDV Lawrence Lowe Woman Crinoline Dress St John's Wood London
Antique CDV Wright & Son Bearded Man Leaning On Pedestal Lynn Norfolk UK
Antique CDV 1880s Charles Koenig Young Man Suit Paddington London UK
Antique CDV 1880 H.P. Robinson Boy Tweed Jacket Tunbridge Wells England
Antique CDV 1880s W. Mobbs Young Man Plaid Tie Leicester UK Portrait
Antique CDV Julia Manner Young Woman Standing Leaning On Carved Wooden Chair
Antique CDV 1870s B Rhodes Bearded Man Bow Tie Gloucester UK Portrait
Antique CDV C.J. Plumer Distinguished Man Sideburns Baker St London UK
Antique CDV Willie Anderson Young Man Bow Tie Suit Partick Glasgow Scotland
Antique CDV 1880s Siedle Bros Man Monocle Glasses Mustache Swansea Wales
Antique CDV Baker & Hudson Young Couple Man Seated Woman Standing Birmingham UK
Antique CDV W Shores Woman Ruched Sleeve Dress Book Bridlington Quay UK
Antique CDV 1860s T R Williams Elegant Woman Silk Dress Regent St London
Antique CDV 1870 Inskip Elderly Gentleman Bow Tie Waistcoat Scarboro UK
Antique CDV 1880s Barnard Handsome Man Mustache Suit Bedford England
Antique CDV 1880 W C Murphy Diana Blue 4 Years Old Girl Bideford 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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