Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV F W Dyer Victorian Standing Gentleman Top Hat Balustrade Trowbridge
Antique CDV Photographic Studio Young Woman Decorated Bonnet London
Antique CDV J Beattie Sitting Man Reading Book Standing Woman Clifton
Antique CDV Creetham Brothers Hand Tinted Standing Gentleman Portsmouth UK
Antique CDV Hellis & Sons Portrait Woman Updo Hairstyle London UK
Antique CDV St. George's Photographic Studio Standing Man Beard Table London UK
Antique CDV F. Deron King Edward VII & Queen Alexandra Bruxelles
Antique CDV Bearded Man Sitting Holding Book Painted Backdrop Portrait
Antique CDV Partridge Man Overcoat Mustache Beard Chair Bridgeport Conn CT Photo
Antique CDV A B Hamor Handsome Mustache Man Suit Tie Lawrence Mass
Antique CDV Towson & Proctor Man Facial Hair Goatee Suit Baltimore Maryland
Antique CDV Geo. W. Pinkerton Curly Hair Bearded Man Lancaster PA
Antique CDV Gregg Young Man Mustache Bow Tie Suit Rochester NY
Antique CDV Handsome Man Mustache Double Breasted Vest Portrait
Antique CDV Prescott & White Handsome Man Mustache Bowtie Hartford Conneticuit
Antique CDV Seated Woman Dark Silk Dress Holding Book Hoop Skirt Hairnet
Antique CDV Michell Seated Victorian Woman Dark Dress St Austell UK
Antique CDV Well Dressed Seated Man Vest Mustache Portrait Photo
Antique CDV R Upjohn Seated Older Gentleman Book London UK Photo
Antique CDV Henry J. Brooks Seated Woman Book Abingdon UK Photo
Antique CDV T Kingsmill Young Girl Standing Full Dress Ashford Kent
Antique CDV Young Girl White Dress Seated Studio Chair Table Prop Portrait
Antique CDV Bearded Man Seated Chair Holding Book Studio Portrait
Antique CDV Ormsby Portrait Young Woman Feather Hat Curls Oakland Cal
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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