Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Allen Cute Young Boy In Suit Holding Book Boston
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Ellinwood & Mcclary Old Lady In Dress Manchester
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Asa H. Lane Handsome Man With Mustache Waldoboro ME
Antique CDV Circa 1870s T. L. Philo Handsome Man In Suit East Des Moines IA
Antique CDV Circa 1890s Jakob Ljungqvist Cute Young Girl Helsingfors Finland
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Moore Brothers Lady In Dress Lace Collar Springfield
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Whipple Handsome Man With Sideburns Suit Boston
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Handsome Young Man Wearing Bowler Hat & Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1880s R. Dighton Lady In Victorian Dress Cheltenham England
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Allen Handsome Bearded Man Boston MA
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Allen Handsome Bearded Man In Suit Portrait Boston
Antique CDV Circa 1870s A. Le Blondel Bearded Man With Glasses Lille France
Antique CDV Circa 1860s E.s. Dunshee Handsome Bearded Man New Bedford
Antique CDV E. S. Dunshee Gorgeous Lady Cross Necklace Boston
Antique CDV Circa 1860s G. O. Sweet Old Man Mutton Chops Susquehanna Depot PA
Antique CDV Circa 1860s E. W. Beckwith Black Old Lady In Dress Great Bend PA
Antique CDV Circa 1890s M. Hansen Handsome Man Mustache Suit Kalmar Sweden
Antique CDV Circa 1890s Davis Bros. Gorgeous Lady Lace Collar Portsmouth
Antique CDV Circa 1860s J. W. Maser Handsome Man With Glasses Beard Rochester NY
Antique CDV Circa 1900s Elfelt Gorgeous Lady And Cute Child Copenhagen Denmark
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Jordan & Co. Young Handsome Man In Suit NY NY
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Young Gorgeous Lady In Dress Cross Necklace Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Geo. M. Turner Handsome Young Man Mutton Chops Boston
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Ritz & Heintz Handsome Bearded Man Boston MA
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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