Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV G & J Hall Boy Velvet Suit Knickerbockers Wakefield UK
Antique CDV J Davies CO Bearded Man Suit Tie Portrait Wrexham Wales UK
Antique CDV 1880 Fradelle & Marshall Young Man Bow Tie London UK Portrait
Antique CDV 1870s David Rees Mother Child White Dog Clapham London UK
Antique CDV 1870s G Cassinello Man Striped Tie Posing Column Brighton UK
Antique CDV 1860s Young Woman Sitting Book Belted Dress Painted Backdrop
Antique CDV R Broadhead Man Top Hat Umbrella Glasses Leeds UK
Antique CDV Thomas Coleman Victorian Woman Dark Dress Chatelaine Bag London UK
Antique CDV J. Weston & Son Victorian Woman Profile Portrait Folkestone UK
Antique CDV 1870s Handsome Young Man Mustache Striped Cravat Vignette
Antique CDV 1880s Bust Portrait Woman High Collar Dark Jacket Updo Hair
Antique CDV 1880s Seated Woman Victorian Dress Lace Collar Book Chair
Antique CDV 1865 Sarony & CO Bearded Man Suit Hat Birmingham UK
Antique CDV 1870s J Barnard Young Woman Braided Hair Bow Bedford UK
Antique CDV Bancer Two Young Girls Sisters Dress Chair Richmond Sw London
Antique CDV 1880s Thos Bromwich Young Woman Portrait Bridgnorth UK
Antique CDV 1875 B Holmes Woman Fancy Hat Bustle Dress Carmarthen Wales
Antique CDV W Cooper Young Boy Suit Portrait Birmingham UK
Antique CDV 1860s G.J. Keet Edward Comerford Man Standing Liverpool UK
Antique CDV 1880 Villiers & Quick Elegant Woman Corset Dress Bristol UK
Antique CDV S Laroche Emma Badland Birmingham Woman Silk Dress Fringe Trim Book
Antique CDV 1870s Wilmot & Key Victorian Woman Ruffled Dress Geelong
Antique CDV 1870s H B Medcalfe Woman Dark Bustle Dress Tenby South Wales
Antique CDV 1860s Kilburn Cuthbert Thornhill Bearded Man Regent St London
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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