Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV A. Gould Young Lady In Dress North Bridgton Maine Victorian Portrait
Antique CDV Henry W. Biffar Handsome Young Boy In Suit Brooklyn New York
Antique CDV Old Lady in Dark Dress with Pearl Necklace Victorian Unmarked
Antique CDV J.P. Weckman Young Gorgeous Lady Dress Bow Tie Cincinnati Ohio
Antique CDV Buchholz & Stuart Old Lady In Dress Large Earrings Springfield Mass.
Antique CDV Young Handsome Man In Suit Holding Hat Sitting By Table Unmarked
Antique CDV City Gallery Handsome Young Man Suit Bowtie Reading Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Henry S. Allen Young Handsome Man In Suit Manchester Vermont
Antique CDV Banks Old Lady In Dress Seated On Plush Chair Manchester England
Antique CDV Patton & Dietrich Young Gorgeous Lady In Dress Reading Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Gorgeous Young Lady In Dress Short Curly Hair Adams Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Simpson Cute Baby In White Dress Ornate Tufted Chair Troy New York
Antique CDV W. A. Elwell Cute Baby In White Dress Plaid Sash Gloucester
Antique CDV J. N. Chamberlain Cute Young Boy In Suit Southbridge Massachusetts
Antique CDV Crosby Gorgeous Lady In Lace Dress Jewelry Lewiston Maine
Antique CDV Dunshee Bros. Cute Baby In Ruffled Dress Jacket Rochester New York
Antique CDV Chas. R. Hollis Cute Baby In White Dress Pittsfield Massachusetts
Antique CDV Young Lady Beaded Dress Large White Bow Tie Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV E. B. Pierson Cute Baby Sitting In Chair Rushville Indiana
Antique CDV Aug. G. Stender Two Cute Young Girls In Dresses Glashutte Germany
Antique CDV Price And Watkins Young Lady Lace Collar Pittsfield Massachusetts
Antique CDV J. H. Meyer Cute Young Boy In Uniform Holding Hat Cincinnati Ohio
Antique CDV H. D. Ward Handsome Bearded Man Wm. Wilkinson Suit North Adams
Antique CDV Leonard & Martin Gorgeous Lady In Floral Necktie Topeka Kansas
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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