Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Lufkin & Hamor Handsome Man In Suit Lawrence
Antique CDV Circa 1870s F. P. Sanborn Young Gorgeous Lady Dress Lowell
Antique CDV Circa 1890s Valentine Blanchard & Lunn Handsome Young Man Cambridge
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Cute Young Girl Susie Dunn In Ruffled Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Emile Pricam Handsome Bearded Man in Geneva Switzerland
Antique CDV Circa 1890s Handsome Old Bearded Man With Mustache In Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1870s F. Treble Young Gorgeous Lady In Dress Norwich England
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Maull & Fox Old Lady In Dress With Brooch London England
Antique CDV Circa 1880s W.h. Prestwich Young Gorgeous Lady Hat London England
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Family Portrait Man With Mustache Woman & Kids Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1880s G. A. Mosher Cute Young Girl In Plaid Dress Albany NY
Antique CDV Circa 1890s Pontet-Guchens Handsome Man With Mustache Cette France
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Spencer Young Black Gorgeous Lady In Dark Dress Adrian
Antique CDV Circa 1880s J.t. Wixson Young Handsome Man Grand Haven MI
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Gorgeous Lady In Dark Dress Large Lace Collar Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Handsome Bearded Man In Suit Victorian Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1880s John D. Strunk Young Gorgeous Lady Reading PA
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Gorgeous Lady In Dress With Hair Bun & Bow Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Hotchkiss Handsome Man With Mustache Norwich NY
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Ritz & Jentz Handsome Man In Suit Boston
Antique CDV Circa 1870s A.w. Anderson Young Lady In Dress Haverhill
Antique CDV Circa 1880s T. Mccosker Gorgeous Lady In Dress Boston
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Knowlton Bros. Young Lady In Dress Northampton
Antique CDV Circa 1870s C.h. Warren Man With Mustache In Suit Lowell
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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