Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Lyman W. Colby Young Gorgeous Lady Elaborate Lace Manchester
Antique CDV Wm. V. Lane Cute Baby Leon C. Staples In White Dress Vinal Haven
Antique CDV Herricks Cute Baby In White Dress Victorian Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Wm. Roberts Gorgeous Lady Lace Collar Tie East Saginaw Michigan
Antique CDV Victorian Gorgeous Lady Elaborate Ringlet Curls Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV Wm. Roberts Young Lady Mrs. Walters Striped Bow East Saginaw
Antique CDV C. M. Hasse Handsome Young Man Curly Hair Suit Milwaukee Wisconsin
Antique CDV J. Harper Gorgeous Victorian Lady Sarah M. Frybarger Greenville Ohio
Antique CDV J. H. Meyer Gorgeous Young Lady Ruffled Dress Cincinnati Ohio
Antique CDV F. W. Streit Cute Young Girl Embroidered Dress Milwaukee Wisconsin
Antique CDV G.W. Chesley Gorgeous Young Lady Long Curly Hair Owatonna Minnesota
Antique CDV John F. Nice Gorgeous Lady In Dark Dress Williamsport Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Handsome Old Bearded Man In Suit And Bowtie Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Crosby Gorgeous Lady In Ruffled Dress Brooch Lewiston Maine
Antique CDV Broich & Kremer Cute Baby In White Dress Milwaukee Wisconsin
Antique CDV Wm. Segar Young Handsome Man With Mustache Suit Blain Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Old Lady In Dark Dress With White Collar Seated Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Hugo Broich & Co. Cute Baby In White Gown Milwaukee Wisconsin
Antique CDV Sutter Gorgeous Lady In Dress Large Cross Necklace Milwaukee
Antique CDV Young Gorgeous Lady Victorian Dress Lace Collar Locket Unmarked
Antique CDV M.W. Owens Gorgeous Young Lady Cross Necklace Grand Rapids
Antique CDV Young Gorgeous Lady In Victorian Dress With Lace Jabot Unmarked
Antique CDV A. M. Johnson Handsome Young Man J. Alfred Fryberger Greenville Ohio
Antique CDV Greenfield Brothers Old Lady In Dress Brooch East Galway New York
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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