Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Union Photograph Gallery Woman Brooch Dark Dress Medina NY
Antique CDV Bust Portrait Young Woman Dark Button Dress Hair Up
Antique CDV A. Paeschke Young Girl White Lace Dress Hair Bow Desk Bukowe
Antique CDV Thos. Cummings Woman Dark Dress Pedestal Lancaster PA
Antique CDV J. P. Haseltine Elderly Woman Lace Collar Brooch Lancaster
Antique CDV Woman Long Wavy Hair Collared Dress Bow Oval Portrait
Antique CDV W. P. Momeyer & Son Woman Fancy Bow Neck Ribbon Mckeesport PA
Antique CDV Portrait Young Woman High Collar Dress Neck Bow Hairstyle
Antique CDV L. H. Mandeville Young Woman Button Front Dress Valparaiso Ind
Antique CDV Maywood Photograph Studio Elderly Woman Portrait Maywood Ill Brooch
Antique CDV Elderly Woman Ringlet Hair Striped Scarf Bonnet Portrait
Antique CDV H. O. Bly Woman Portrait Brooch Pin Hanover N.
Antique CDV Elderly Woman Seated Polka Dot Dress Pattern
Antique CDV J Parker Young Man Bowtie Jacket Cambridge VT Vermont Photo
Antique CDV G W Biffar Young Boy Fred Thorne Suit Bow Tie Brooklyn NY
Antique CDV Tyler Woman White Collar Center Part Hair Easton PA
Antique CDV Henry W. Biffar Baby Toddler Girl Fancy Chair Dress Brooklyn NY
Antique CDV E L Russell Portrait Woman Collar Hair Parted Blossburgh PA Photo
Antique CDV Furman Young Woman Bow Hair Ruffled Collar Locket Rochester NY
Antique CDV Henry W. Biffar Young Child Sitting Rustic Bench Brooklyn NY Photo
Antique CDV Hardy Woman Bust Portrait Plaid Dress Hair Ribbon Boston
Antique CDV E L Russell Woman Center Part Hairstyle Blossburgh PA Bust
Antique CDV Young Boy Portrait Dark Jacket Patterned Tie Side Part Hair
Antique CDV Rodgers Portrait Woman Bun Hair Lace Collar Hartford Conn
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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