Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV E. W. Oliver Handsome Man With Mustache IN Suit Warsaw Illinois
Antique CDV Gorgeous Young Lady Braided Hair Earrings Necklace Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV Alfred Bowman Handsome Old Man IN Suit Shelbyville Indiana Portrait
Antique CDV Handsome Bearded Man With Long Chin Beard in Suit Bow Tie Unmarked
Antique CDV Hobbs Handsome Man With Mustache IN Suit Lyons Kansas
Antique CDV W. Shaw Warren Handsome Old Bearded Man Suit Boston Massachusetts
Antique CDV N. P. Jones Handsome Young Man in Glasses Bow Tie Suit Madison
Antique CDV A.M. Allen Handsome Bearded Man IN Suit Pottsville Pennsylvania
Antique CDV C. Arcouet Old Handsome Bearded Priest Reverend IN Robes Religious
Antique CDV Hills & Saunders Handsome Bearded Man IN Suit Tie London England
Antique CDV A. N. Hardy Handsome Old Bearded Man in Suit Boston Massachusetts
Antique CDV Victorian Old Handsome Bearded Man IN Suit White Beard Unmarked
Antique CDV Handsome Man With Mustache IN Suit Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV R.S. DE Lamater Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Hartford
Antique CDV Handsome Bearded Man IN Suit Bowtie Jno C Dexter Unmarked
Antique CDV A. H. Smith Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Salem Massachusetts
Antique CDV Handsome Bearded Man With Mustache IN Suit Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Taylor & Preston Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Salem
Antique CDV Mitchell & Son Young Lady Plaid Dress Dora Brown St. Joseph Missouri
Antique CDV C. E. Brown Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Boston Massachusetts
Antique CDV A.M. Allen Handsome Man With Mutton Chops IN Suit Pottsville PA
Antique CDV Fox & Gates Handsome Bearded Man IN Suit Rochester New York
Antique CDV E. S. Dunshee Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Boston
Antique CDV J. W. Sellars Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Bellaire Ohio
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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