Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV L. L. Liberty Old Lady in Dress With Lace Cap Middlebury Vermont
Antique CDV J. W. Sellars Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Bellaire Ohio
Antique CDV Frank Jewell Young Handsome Man in Suit Scranton Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Rehard & Johnson Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Winterset Iowa
Antique CDV A. Hillman Handsome Man With Mustache IN Suit Buffalo New York
Antique CDV G. A. Ellis Handsome Young Man Mustache Suit Richmond Michigan
Antique CDV Family Portrait Man Woman Cute Boy Baby Victorian Clothing Unmarked
Antique CDV A.M. Allen Handsome Old Bearded Man Suit Pottsville Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Handsome Man With Mustache IN Suit Victorian Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV J.W. Sellars Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Bellaire Ohio
Antique CDV Burdick Handsome Victorian Man With Mustache Suit Lansing Michigan
Antique CDV Hart's Handsome Old Bearded Man in Suit Elmira New York Portrait
Antique CDV Chas. H. Pease Old Man IN Suit Mutton Chops Goshen Indiana
Antique CDV C. A. & E. C. DE Long Old Bearded Man IN Suit Minneapolis Minnesota
Antique CDV Theo. Brown Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit MT. Gilead Ohio
Antique CDV John Owen Young Handsome Man in Suit Stratford Ontario Victorian
Antique CDV Godfrey Handsome Bearded Man IN Suit Mr. Harrison Rochester New York
Antique CDV H. Burrows Old Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Liverpool England
Antique CDV Geo. W. Gordon Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Auburn Indiana
Antique CDV Colburn Handsome Man With Mustache in Suit Bay City Michigan
Antique CDV Forshew Handsome Man With Mustache Wearing Glasses Hudson NY
Antique CDV Pomeroy Handsome Bearded Man Chester Rice Suit Rochester New York
Antique CDV Woods Young Gorgeous Lady Wearing Hat And Lace Bow Marysville
Antique CDV Handsome Bearded Man With Mustache in Suit Bowtie Portrait Unmarked
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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