Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Old Lady Gorgeous Lace Dress Earrings Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV S. T. Wiggins Handsome Young Man In Suit Cedar Rapids Iowa
Antique CDV J. Montgomery Cute Young Boy Alfred In Suit Lockport New York
Antique CDV J.H. Reed Young Lady In Striped Dress Lace Collar Fulton Illinois
Antique CDV B. F. Howland Cute Young Boy Johnie Gibson San Francisco California
Antique CDV L. M. Miller Gorgeous Lady In Dress With Bow Bay City Michigan
Antique CDV J. R. Brown Cute Young Girl In Striped Scarf Morrison Illinois
Antique CDV G. T. Wilkins Cute Young Girl In Lace Collar Dress Clinton Iowa
Antique CDV W. S. Howard Old Lady In Lace Collar North East Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Colburn Cute Young Girl In Dress Long Curly Hair Bay City Michigan
Antique CDV J. H. Reed Cute Baby In Dress Victorian Portrait Clinton Iowa
Antique CDV Colburn Cute Child In Dark Dress With Necklace Bay City Michigan
Antique CDV Randall Gorgeous Lady in Ruffled Scarf Crown Hairpiece Saginaw, Mich
Antique CDV E. W. Lyon Young Gorgeous Lady Pleated Dress Ithaca Michigan
Antique CDV J. A. Foster Cute Baby Girl Grace Whiting Seligman Adrian Michigan
Antique CDV Carson And Graham Cute Baby In Striped Dress Hillsdale Michigan
Antique CDV Dan. M. Smith Young Lady Curly Hair Brooch Saginaw City Michigan
Antique CDV Young Gorgeous Lady Russell High Collar Dress Ruffled Hair Unmarked
Antique CDV C.B. Colburn Young Gorgeous Lady Embroidered Dress Bay City Michigan
Antique CDV Ellers Cute Young Girl In Dress Leaning Pedestal Oshkosh Wisconsin
Antique CDV Cute Young Girl In White Dress Leaning On Tasseled Chair Unmarked
Antique CDV Gorgeous Lady Orilia Bridges In Victorian Bustle Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV W. A. Armstrong Young Gorgeous Lady Ruffled Collar Saginaw Michigan
Antique CDV Beals Young Lady In Ornate Lace Collar East Saginaw Michigan
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.
Have CDVs to sell?
We buy carte de visite singly or by the lot. Send a few photos and we'll have an offer back in 24–48 hours.
Get an offer →