Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique 2.5x4in Tintype Man Beard Vest Bowtie Gold Border Carte DE Visite Mount
Antique 2.5x4in Tintype Stern Woman White Bow Collar Earrings CDV Mount
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Lenzi Handsome Man in Suit Norristown PA
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Geo. A. Lenzi Old Lady Fancy Dress Norristown PA
Antique CDV Augustus Young Young Man Suit Lapel South Lowestoft UK Photo
Antique CDV G Churchill Victorian Woman High Collar Dress Eastbourne UK
Antique CDV Lambert Weston & Son Woman Braided Hairstyle Folkestone UK Portrait
Antique CDV Presby Baby Infant White Gown Laced Dress Floral Cushion Chair
Antique CDV Women Children Toddler Toy Doll Sepia Photo Victorian
Antique CDV A.W. Cox & Son Young Man Leaning Elbows Nottingham UK
Antique CDV Villiers & Sons Seated Woman Standing Man Newport Mon
Antique CDV Victorian Woman Dark Lace Trim Dress Fancy Bonnet
Antique CDV Handsome Young Man Mustache Buttoned Frock Suit Prop
Antique CDV E Desmaisons King Edward VII Of England Royalty Paris France
Antique CDV Gilmour Young Man Standing Leaning Pedestal Newcastle UK
Antique CDV U Paltoni Woman High Collar Brooch Brecon Wales Portrait
Antique CDV John E Palmer Young Man Beard Portrait Stonehouse Devon
Antique CDV H Green Seated Young Woman Seated Gown Manchester UK
Antique CDV Beard Handsome Man Bust Portrait Suit Lapel Pin Photo
Antique CDV Family Portrait Mother Father Two Babies Laps Tintype
Antique CDV G. C. Robinson Man Curly Hair Bow Tie Suit Coat Lynn Mass
Antique CDV William Ball Studio Two Boys Fur Coat Peterborough UK Photo
Antique CDV Cute Baby Infant White Gown Frills Armchair Portrait
Antique CDV Young Man Suit Tie Wavy Hair Portrait Handsome Studio Photo
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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