Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
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
Antique CDV Julius Ortgies Jr Young Woman Lace Collar Portrait Bremen Germany
Antique CDV Hansine Mortensen Young Girl Portrait Pleated Dress Ringe Denmark
Antique CDV J. B. Sidenius Young Woman Oval Portrait Nykjbing Denmark
Antique CDV V.C. Christoffersen Standing Young Boy Suit Hat Nykjbing Denmark
Antique CDV C. Vald. Haarup Young Woman Dark Dress Necklace Svendborg Denmark
Antique CDV Hans Trsleff Victorian Couple Portrait Studio Photo Rudkjbing
Antique CDV Young Boy Large Spotted Bow Tie Plaid Collar Portrait
Antique CDV R. A. Mcintosh Baby Toddler White Dress Dark Sash Essex Conn
Antique CDV Young Woman Curly Hair Lace Collar Pendant Necklace Photo
Antique CDV Stevenson's Woman Full Length Gown Urn Pedestal Brooklyn Ed NY
Antique CDV Woman Button Front Dress Seated Hands Folded Portrait
Antique CDV Young Man Suit Boutonniere Leaning Arm Chair Studio Photo Portrait
Antique CDV Fritz Ridiger Standing Woman Balustrade Backdrop Prsto Denmark
Antique CDV Henry Grndahl Young Woman High Collar Dress Rudkjbing Denmark
Antique CDV R. Hansen Baby Girl Dress Lace Collar Chair Ringe Denmark
Antique CDV Portrait Young Woman Lace Collar Drop Earrings Ringlets
Antique CDV Embossed Miniature Oval Frame Portrait Woman Williamsport
Antique CDV Kuester & Wyer Child Plaid Dress Tufted Chair Yonkers NY
Antique CDV Seated Young Woman Striped Dress Crossed Arms Norrkoping
Antique CDV Baby Infant in Long White Christening Gown High Chair
Antique CDV D. Clark Young Woman Annie Barclay New Brunswick
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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