Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Gothic Revival Architecture Chapel Clock Tower Church
Antique CDV G. W. Wilson Glasgow Cathedral Crypt Vaulted Pillars Aberdeen
Antique CDV Edinburgh From The Castle Scott Monument Scotland View
Antique CDV Wm Towers & Son Girl Violinist Violin Player Edinburgh UK
Antique CDV John Burton & Sons Man Sitting With Pug Dog Leicester UK
Antique CDV Prinz Friedrich Carl V. Preussen Prussian Prince Military Uniform
Antique CDV Geddes Portrait Elderly Man High Collar Coat Arbroath Scotland
Antique CDV Sophus Williams Eisenbahnbrucke Schloss Coblenz Germany
Antique CDV Bearded Man Wearing Hat Holding Cane Walking Stick
Antique CDV Country Church On Hillside Spire Steeple Landscape
Antique CDV L Haase Vogel V Falkenstein Prussian General Berlin Germany
Antique CDV Two Women Mother Daughter Outdoors Transparent Stuido Backdrop
Antique CDV Spencer Wilson Toddler Girl Bonnet Doll Wood Green London UK
Antique CDV F Moor Clergyman Priest Robes Ventnor Isle Of Wight
Antique CDV William Shakespeare Portrait Engraving Illustration Bust Art
Antique CDV St Mary Redcliffe Gothic Church Cathedral Bristol UK
Antique CDV Currey Two Young Children Toy Sailboat Bolton Morecambe UK
Antique CDV Prince Arthur Duke Of Connaught & Strathearn Royalty Military
Antique CDV Hand Colored Woman Purple Hair Bow Gold Earring Portrait
Antique CDV Victorian Floral Shoe Greeting Card H. D. New Zealand
Antique CDV T Hooker Open Bible Book Bookmark Wellington New Zealand
Antique CDV J. Pearlman Schoolboys Class Group Portrait Liverpool UK
Antique CDV J Groom Two Young Boys With Spaniel Dog Pet Shrewsbury UK
Antique CDV A. Schell Portrait Painting Of Man Cravat Coat Pimlico London
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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