Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique Framed CDV President Abraham Lincoln Civil War Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Coleman & Remington Gorgeous Lady Profile Providence Rhode Island
Antique CDV Atelier NY Handsome Young Man In Suit & Tie Helsinki Finland
Antique CDV Handsome Old Bearded Man In Suit Victorian Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Buel Gorgeous Lady Emily Dyer Barber In Dress Pittsfield
Antique CDV Henry W. Biffar Cute Young Girl In White Dress Brooklyn New York
Antique CDV O. P. Button Gorgeous Lady In Patterned Dress Watertown New York
Antique CDV Harry's Temple of Art Young Gorgeous Lady Cross Wooster, Ohio
Antique CDV Georg Nyblin Lady Bina Bergroth In Trimmed Dress Abo Finland
Antique CDV F. M. Yeager Cute Baby In White Dress Reading Pennsylvania Victorian
Antique CDV K. W. Beniczky Gorgeous Lady In Dark Dress New York New York
Antique CDV Henry W. Biffar Handsome Young Man In Suit Brooklyn New York
Antique CDV R.A. Lord Young Gorgeous Lady In Dress Hair Bow New York New York
Antique CDV K. W. Beniczky Old Lady In Dark Dress Standing By Chair New York NY
Antique CDV A. J. Schillare Old Lady In Dark Dress Northampton Massachusetts
Antique CDV Henry S. Allen Gorgeous Lady In Lace Collar Manchester Vermont
Antique CDV D. S. Moore Cute Young Child In Dress Ruffled Collar Curwensville Pa
Antique CDV Gilmore's Gallery Of Art Cute Young Girl Plaid Dress Binghamton NY
Antique CDV Victorian Portrait Young Handsome Man In Suit Patterned Tie Unmarked
Antique CDV L. W. Cook Gorgeous Lady In Dark Dress Locket Boston Massachusetts
Antique CDV P. A. Merrill Cute Baby In White Dress Binghamton New York
Antique CDV Burnham Handsome Young Man In Textured Suit Norway Maine Portrait
Antique CDV G. O. Sweet Young Lady In Ruffled Dress Susquehanna Depot Pa
Antique CDV W. M. Wires Handsome Young Man In Suit Lynn Massachusetts
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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