Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV W.E. Smith Bearded Man Suit Standing By Chair Cooperstown NY
Antique CDV H.P. White Mammoth Picture Car Young Victorian Lady Braid Choker
Antique CDV Bearded Man in Double Breasted Coat Seated in Carved Studio Chair
Antique CDV Stevenson Handsome Man Goatee Mustache Bow Tie Brooklyn NY Portrait
Antique CDV Miles & Foster Handsome Young Man Mustache Bow Tie Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV Chrisler & Quayle Handsome Bearded Man Suit Albany NY Portrait
Antique CDV F.L. Lay Old Lady Bonnet Pleated Bodice Boston Ma Studio Portrait
Antique CDV Peck Bros. Handsome Bearded Man Bow Tie Suit New Haven CT Portrait
Antique CDV R.A. Lewis Bearded Man in Frock Coat By Ornate Chair New York NY
Antique CDV Victorian Young Handsome Man in Suit Bow Tie Table Studio Portrait
Antique CDV Kempe & Gates Handsome Young Man Holding Straw Hat Rochester NY
Antique CDV Warren Bearded Man in Suit Seated Table Book Lowell
Antique CDV Wm. Delius Handsome Young Man Holding Hat Seated Waterbury
Antique CDV A.N. Pierce Handsome Bearded Man Frock Coat Lafayette in Portrait
Antique CDV B.W. Matteson Bearded Man With Cane Mechanicsburg Pa Fringed Chair
Antique CDV Young Victorian Lady Braided Hair Droop Curl Lace Collar Dress Bow
Antique CDV Fassett's Gallery Handsome Old Man Mutton Chops Suit Chicago
Antique CDV Fassett's Gallery Handsome Bearded Man Suit Bow Tie Chicago
Antique CDV A. Hesler Bearded Man in Frock Coat Standing By Chair Chicago
Antique CDV Howard Bros. Handsome Young Man Mustache Tweed Coat N Bridgewater
Antique CDV W. Richardson Handsome Man Mustache Suit Brooklyn NY James Egginton
Antique CDV G.W. Squiers Handsome Young Man Double Breasted Coat Rochester NY
Antique CDV Henry Taylor Victorian Woman Curls Velvet Bow Tie Waverly PA
Antique CDV French & Sawyer Bald Man Mutton Chops Beard Suit Keene
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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