Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV 1860s Bearded Man Ornate Purple Frame Vignette Portrait
Antique CDV 1870s Bearded Man in Three Piece Suit And Tie Portrait
Antique CDV 1870s J. Lowy Woman High Updo Hair Cameo Brooch Wien Austria
Antique CDV Birchall Victorian Woman Gingham Dress Cheltenham England
Antique CDV Delboy Young Woman High Lace Collar Hairstyle Den Haag Netherlands
Antique CDV Unmarked
Antique CDV 1870s Young Man Side Profile Goatee Beard Double Breasted Coat
Antique CDV W Phillips Young Man Seated Suit Pocket Square Southampton UK
Antique CDV Crowe & Rodgers Handsome Man Mustache Tweed Suit Stirling UK
Antique CDV C S Allen Victorian Woman Hat Bustle Dress Tenby Wales UK
Antique CDV H J Whitlock Elegant Woman Elaborate Hair Lace Gown Birmingham
Antique CDV James E Bruton Young Woman Profile Portrait Cape Town South Africa
Antique CDV W. Baker Sailor Suit Boy Reading Book Birmingham UK
Antique CDV 1870s W Watson Victorian Woman Bustle Dress Finchley London
Antique CDV W Baker Young Woman Puffy Sleeves High Collar Birmingham England
Antique CDV W Hawkes Portrait Woman Lace Collar High Neck Dress Birmingham UK
Antique CDV Thos Boxell Man Plaid Trousers Watch Chain Brighton UK
Antique CDV Johnstone O'shannessy Bearded Man Bust Portrait Melbourne Australia
Antique CDV M Bowness Young Woman Hair Ribbon Necklace Ambleside UK
Antique CDV J Goulding & CO Young Woman Full Length Silk Dress Beverley UK
Antique CDV John Fergus Young Man Double Breasted Coat Cravat Largs Scotland
Antique CDV J Goulding & CO Bearded Man Suit Tie Beverley Yorkshire England
Antique CDV Henry Cooper Young Man Mustache Suit Jacket Northampton England
Antique CDV 1880s F A Wilkinson Woman Standing By Desk Huddersfield 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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