Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV 1870s F Beales Elegant Woman Tufted Chair Boston UK
Antique CDV Byrne & CO Young Woman Beaded Necklace Richmond UK Portrait
Antique CDV 1870s Young Woman Striped Dress Ruffle Collar Spiral Chair
Antique CDV 1870s Elegant Woman Curly Updo Hair Choker Collar Portrait
Antique CDV 1880s E.T.F. Goodwin Man Mustache High Collar London UK
Antique CDV 1870s David Rees Woman Victorian Dress Brixton London UK
Antique CDV J Mitchell Young Man Suit Cane Bowler Hat Truro Cornwall UK
Antique CDV 1880 Samuel Fry Young Woman Hat Earring Kingston On Thames
Antique CDV 1877 Young Man Suit Sitting On Chair June 1877 Richards
Antique CDV R.W. Elliott Young Woman Dark Dress Lace Collar Aldershot UK
Antique CDV Done & CO Bearded Man in Suit Bowtie London UK Portrait
Antique CDV London School Of Photography Young Woman Hoop Skirt Jacket Liverpool
Antique CDV A.L. Henderson Bearded Man Bowtie Coat London Bridge UK
Antique CDV C. Golz Bearded Man in Sun Hat With Walking Stick Interlaken
Antique CDV 1880s Handsome Young Man Oval Portrait Suit Tie Pocket Square
Antique CDV L. Blanc & Cie Handsome Man Mustache Suit Tie Paris France
Antique CDV L. Hasse Handsome Young Man in Suit Berlin Germany
Antique CDV 1870s W Astley Artist Walthamstow Man Standing By Chair
Antique CDV S. Hockett & CO Woman Vignette Portrait New Barnet Herts UK
Antique CDV J.M. Watson Boy in Velvet Suit Lace Collar Bury Lancashire UK
Antique CDV Archer Clarke Victorian Woman Profile Bustle Dress Stourbridge
Antique CDV R. J. Orr Handsome Man Goatee Bow Tie Providence Pennsylvania
Antique CDV 1870s Barnes & Son Woman Rembrandt Portrait London UK
Antique CDV A. Dupuy Distinguished Man Sitting Leg Crossed Paris France
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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