Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Handsome Young Man Polka Dot Cravat Tie Suit Faribault MN Portrait
Antique CDV S.F. Sheaffer Handsome Young Man Suit Ornate Chair Hanover PA
Antique CDV Young Victorian Lady Bust Portrait White Collar Dark Dress
Antique CDV Handsome Young Man Chin Beard Plaid Vest Coat Studio Portrait
Antique CDV D.O. Furnald Handsome Bearded Man Goatee Suit Manchester
Antique CDV Victorian Young Woman High Collar Vignette Studio Bust Portrait
Antique CDV Victorian Young Lady Center Part Hair Dark Dress Oval Frame Portrait
Antique CDV Warren Victorian Lady Ringlet Curls Lace Collar Cambridgeport
Antique CDV Dewey's Gallery Young Victorian Woman Snood Hairnet Pittsfield
Antique CDV Applegate Handsome Young Man Bow Tie Suit Philadelphia Pa Portrait
Antique CDV Victorian Young Woman Button Up High Collar Dress Studio Portrait
Antique CDV A. Cobden Handsome Young Man Plaid Bow Tie Troy NY
Antique CDV Vignette Portrait Pretty Young Victorian Girl Velvet Choker Lace
Antique CDV Victorian Woman Center Part Hair Dark Dress White Collar Portrait
Antique CDV Victorian Lady Hairnet Snood Bow Collar Striped Dress Bust Portrait
Antique CDV Victorian Man Sideburns Frock Coat Suit Ornate Chair Studio Portrait
Antique CDV G.T. Lape Young Lady Vignette Portrait Brooch New York NY
Antique CDV P.S. Weaver Handsome Goatee Bearded Man Suit Hanover Pa Portrait
Antique CDV H.T. Harpham Bearded Man in Suit Seated By Table Tyrone PA
Antique CDV Victorian Old Lady in Silk Hoop Dress Spectacles Studio Portrait
Antique CDV W.L. Sutton Old Man in Dark Suit Seated Hornellsville NY Portrait
Antique CDV Churchill & Denison Handsome Mustache Man Coat Albany NY Portrait
Antique CDV Kempe & Gates Handsome Man Mustache Suit Rochester NY Vignette
Antique CDV Landy Handsome Man Polka Dot Tie Vignette Portrait Cincinnati OH
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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