Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Soldier 19th Regiment Hussar Uniform Mustache Portrait
Antique CDV Ed Boucher French Soldier Uniform Sword Orleans France
Antique CDV Young Man Military Uniform 15 Collar Insignia Portrait
Antique CDV A Carette Young Soldier Military Uniform Douai France
Antique CDV Hte Anfray French Soldier Uniform Portrait Paris France
Antique CDV Soldier Military Uniform Cap Belt Buckle Portrait
Antique CDV Civil War Union Cavalry Soldier Uniform Sword Shako Hat
Antique CDV P Rollin French Soldier Uniform Mustache Nevers France
Antique CDV G. Blanc French Sailor Navy Uniform Mustache Paris France
Antique CDV E Thiel Jeune French Soldier 132nd Infantry Reims France
Antique CDV E Picart French Soldier Military Uniform Paris France
Antique CDV Victor Pincon French Navy Officer Uniform Sword Brest France
Antique CDV F.X. Ostermayr Bavarian Soldier Uniform Sword Munich Germany
Antique CDV Th Schahl French Soldier Uniform Mustache Dijon France
Antique CDV C.C. Widbern Older Couple Man Beard Woman Book Hamburg Germany
Antique CDV Carl Bruning German Soldier Uniform Medal Oldenburg Germany
Antique CDV Fritz Weber Young German Soldier Uniform Portrait Nurnberg
Antique CDV Grundner & Abich German Soldier Uniform Berlin Germany
Antique CDV Ed Garcette French Soldier Uniform 145 Epaulets Maubeuge France
Antique CDV Heinr Burghard German Soldier Uniform Cap Sword Torgau Germany
Antique CDV J W & C Elmes Soldier Uniform Cap Cane Chelsea London UK
Antique CDV Jules Monier French Soldier Uniform Epaulets Foix Ariege France
Antique CDV Bruder Young Man Military Uniform Portrait Lausanne
Antique CDV Leclaire French Soldier Uniform Epaulets Versailles
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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