Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Williams & Williams Woman High Lace Collar Puffy Sleeves Bristol UK
Antique CDV 1880s H Aubrey Handsome Man Mustache Boutonniere Horsham UK
Antique CDV Wm Smith Elderly Woman Lace Bonnet Collar Leeds UK Portrait
Antique CDV E Ireland Young Woman Portrait Pearl Necklace Manchester Liverpool
Antique CDV Hy J Bliss Young Woman High Collar Brooch Grantham Lincolnshire
Antique CDV C.J. Korsten Woman High Collar Plaid Jacket Zierikzee Netherlands
Antique CDV 1870s Robert Broadhead Bearded Man Suit Tie Leeds England
Antique CDV H Andrews Young Man Striped Tie Suit Carlisle UK Portrait
Antique CDV J Grand Young Woman High Collar Hair Updo Montpellier France
Antique CDV Metenier Woman Hair Updo Earring Brooch Vichy Cannes Nice France
Antique CDV Thos. Worth Young Man Cane Top Hat Dublin Ireland Portrait
Antique CDV 1905 J.B. Gratzer Boy First Communion Baby Sister Brunn Brno
Antique CDV Bath & CO Young Man Curly Hair Velvet Trim Coat Farringdon St London
Antique CDV Unmarked
Antique CDV 1870s Monsr Louis Seated Woman Victorian Dress London UK
Antique CDV 1880s Frank Harford Young Woman Updo Hair London UK
Antique CDV 1870s Anderson Bearded Man Velvet Collar Coat Glasgow Scotland
Antique CDV 1870s Valentine Blanchard Young Boy Suit Portrait London UK
Antique CDV Hermann Emden Distinguished Man Mutton Chops Frankfurt Germany
Antique CDV Clayton & Clayson Woman Crinoline Dress Wicker Chair Nottingham UK
Antique CDV John Thomas Young Man Suit Vest Watch Chain Liverpool Wales
Antique CDV Wm Stevenson Elderly Woman Bonnet Shawl Book Todmorden UK
Antique CDV Henry Lock Man Sideburns Beard Bow Tie Shoreditch London UK
Antique CDV G Denney CO Elder Woman Brooch Exeter Teignmouth Devon UK
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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