Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Circa 1880s C.g. Duffey Old Lady In Dress Curwensville PA
Antique CDV Circa 1880s W.a. Singer Black Cute Girl In Dress Curwensville PA
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Albert Parker Handsome Man With Mustache Blackpool
Antique CDV Circa 1870s E.m. Berry Black Cute Girl In Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Julius Giere Old Lady In Silk Dress Hannover Germany
Antique CDV Circa 1880s A. J. Lovell Young Gorgeous Lady Dress Hat Whitehaven UK
Antique CDV Circa 1900s Anna Schroder Handsome Man With Mustache Falun Sweden
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Louis Nagel Cute Baby In Lace Dress Hoboken NJ
Antique CDV Circa 1880s G. Cramer Young Handsome Man In Suit St. Louis MO
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Louis Nagel Cute Baby In Dress Hoboken
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Holm & Holst Bearded Man In Suit Christiania
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Wilber & Fassett Cute Baby Erie PA
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Church Cute Boy In Suit Belfast
Antique CDV Circa 1880s C.o. Schriver Handsome Man With Mustache Tyrone PA
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Jurgens Old Man In Suit Altona Germany
Antique CDV Circa 1880s J.t. Needles Handsome Man With Mustache St. Joseph
Antique CDV Circa 1860s F.r. Downer Woman And Child In Dress Watford
Antique CDV Circa 1880s H.h. Buell Cute Child In Coat Topeka KS
Antique CDV Circa 1860s A. Allen Handsome Man In Suit NY NY
Antique CDV Circa 1860s R.a. Lewis Lady In Bonnet NY NY
Antique CDV Circa 1870s L. Nagel Cute Baby In Dress Hoboken
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Black Cute Baby On Chair Unknown
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Bishop Man With Mustache In Suit Altoona PA
Antique CDV Circa 1870s J.m. Chase Gorgeous Lady In Dress Newburyport
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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