Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Fratelli D'Alessandri Tinted Hand Colored Victorian Lady Rome Italy
Antique CDV J.A. Williams Handsome Man Handlebar Mustache Newport RI Portrait
Antique CDV G.D. Morse Victorian Lady Lace Collar Dress San Francisco
Antique CDV Geo. W. Barnes Bearded Man in Suit Coat Rockford il Studio Portrait
Antique CDV C.H. Spieler Handsome Bearded Man Dark Coat Bow Tie Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV Hare & Lingo Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Uniontown Pa Portrait
Antique CDV Geo. W. Barnes Handsome Man Cravat Suit Rockford il Studio Portrait
Antique CDV Harry Gurlitz Old Man Oval Cameo Portrait Suit Coat Tie
Antique CDV Walter Handsome Bearded Man Bow Tie Vignette Cincinnati OH
Antique CDV J.W. Cook Handsome Bearded Man Suit Watch Chain Weymouth
Antique CDV Handsome Victorian Man Mustache Bow Tie Coat Wooster Oh Lewis Grimm
Antique CDV Moulthrop & Williams Handsome Bearded Man Frock Coat New Haven
Antique CDV Victorian Young Lady Ribbon Neck Tie Dark Dress Studio Portrait
Antique CDV Handsome Victorian Man Goatee Beard Ornate Vignette Frame Portrait
Antique CDV Hare & Lingo Handsome Young Man Goatee Mustache Uniontown PA
Antique CDV Lingo & McLaughlin Couple Man Woman Bust Portrait Uniontown PA
Antique CDV H.F. Cornwall Handsome Young Man in Dark Suit South Abington
Antique CDV Handsome Young Man Bow Tie Dark Coat Stephen Lorenzo Kelly Portrait
Antique CDV P.J. Ward Handsome Young Man in Suit Seated Horseheads NY
Antique CDV Dunshee Bros. Bearded Handsome Man in Suit Rochester NY Portrait
Antique CDV Marshall Ruttonjee Indian Nanny Holding White Baby Cuttriss India
Antique CDV Grossmunster Zurich Switzerland Cathedral Architectural Etching
Antique CDV E. A. Lingo Classical Artwork Maiden Balustrade Uniontown PA
Antique CDV Dapper Standing Man Mustache Suit Hand in Coat Pose
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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