Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Handsome Bearded Man in Vest & Suit Princeton WI J.B. Radway Antique CDV
Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Seated By Table With Books Antique CDV
Handsome Bearded Man in Polka Dot Bow Tie Philadelphia Pa Antique CDV
Handsome Man Mustache Dark Necktie Suit W. Randolph VT Sparhawk Antique CDV
Handsome Bearded Man in Dark Suit Bow Tie Rochester NH S. Swaine Antique CDV
Handsome Man With Spectacles & Mutton Chops Danbury CT Ritton Antique CDV
Handsome Bearded Man in Bow Tie Hanover Pa P.S. Weaver Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Mustache Necktie Suit Mansfield Pa F.M. Spencer Antique CDV
Handsome Bearded Man in Coat & Bow Tie Malone NY Fay & Ferris Antique CDV
Handsome Bearded Man Vignette Portrait Cooperstown NY W.G. Smith Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man in Top Hat Double Breasted Coat Jeffres York Pa Antique CDV
Mother Holding Baby in Long White Gown Victorian Studio Portrait Antique CDV
Antique CDV Victorian Bearded Man in Frock Coat Suit Leaning On Studio Pedestal
Antique CDV J. Haldt Handsome Man Mustache Bow Tie Suit Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV Handsome Victorian Man Mustache Dark Coat Holding Book Studio Photo
Antique CDV Victorian Bearded Man in Sack Coat Vest Bow Tie Seated Portrait
Antique CDV Victorian Old Lady in Large Crinoline Hoop Dress Big Neck Ribbon
Antique CDV Bearded Man Three Piece Suit Armrest Fringe Chair Studio Portrait
Antique CDV Victorian Young Lady Center Part Hair White Collar Buttoned Dress
Antique CDV Harlow Underwood Old Handsome Man Double Breasted Suit Studio Photo
Antique CDV Victorian Young Handsome Man Pattern Shirt Piping Jacket Portrait
Antique CDV Gawthrop Young Handsome Man Suit Cravat Vignette Wilmington
Antique CDV Nelson Young Lady Headband Ribbon Tie Vignette Mercer PA
Antique CDV Victorian Young Woman Ruffled Collar Dress Cut Corner Card Portrait
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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