Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Mead Cute Young Boy In Striped Suit Howard Taylor Waverly New York
Antique CDV Bogardus Handsome Bearded Man In Suit New York New York
Antique CDV Johnston Bros. Gorgeous Lady In Striped Dress New York New York
Antique CDV Abel Lewis Lady In Lace Collar Chain Necklace Douglas Isle Of Man
Antique CDV L. B. Williams Handsome Young Man In Suit Utica New York
Antique CDV Two Young Women in Striped Victorian Dresses Unmarked
Antique CDV B. Frank. Saylor & Co. Handsome Young Man In Suit Lancaster Pa
Antique CDV B. S. Engler Two Cute Young Girls Victorian Dresses Catasauqua Pa
Antique CDV S. Rogers Lady In Buttoned Dress With White Bow Tarrytown New York
Antique CDV Smith Young Handsome Man In Suit Patterned Tie Cooperstown New York
Antique CDV Stauffer Cute Young Girl In White Dress Bow Tie Boots Trenton NJ
Antique CDV Roberts & Tilton Young Gorgeous Lady Lace Collar Farmington Maine
Antique CDV Ellinwood Cute Young Girl In Dress Manchester New Hampshire
Antique CDV Brainerd & Hovey Victorian Old Lady In Lace Collar Rome New York
Antique CDV Louis Walker Gorgeous Lady In Dark Dress Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Antique CDV J. C. Moulton Gorgeous Lady In Dress Fitchburg Massachusetts
Antique CDV F.R. Russell Young Gorgeous Lady Braided Hair Lawrence Massachusetts
Antique CDV Gorgeous Young Lady Curly Hair Dark Dress Ruffled Collar Unmarked
Antique CDV W. R. Call Gorgeous Lady In Dark Dress Manchester New Hampshire
Antique CDV Gebr. Noelle Handsome Man Mustache Glasses Suit Gottingen Germany
Antique CDV Marshall Cute Young Girl In White Dress Boston Massachusetts
Antique CDV B. Frank. Saylor & Co. Young Gorgeous Lady Lancaster Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Gurney Young Gorgeous Lady In Dress New York New York
Antique CDV C. F. Cook Cute Young Boy In Sailor Suit Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania
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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