Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV H. P. Osborne Young Girl Hair Snood Bethlehem PA Portrait
Antique CDV Schreiber & Son Woman Portrait Center Part Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV D Hinkle Elderly Woman Bonnet Shawl Germantown PA Photo
Antique CDV Benjn Lochman Man Bowtie Hat Chair Allentown PA
Antique CDV D. Hinkle Bearded Man Bow Tie Coat Germantown PA
Antique CDV D R Stiltz Man Oval Cameo Portrait Williamsport PA
Antique CDV Mumper Couple Standing Lady Seated Man Gettysburg PA
Antique CDV Theo Seigfried Seated Boy Suit Bow Tie Allentown PA Photo
Antique CDV J. H. Fitzgibbon Man Goatee Beard St. Louis MO Portrait
Antique CDV J. P. Greenwald Little Girl Fringed Chair Adrian Mich
Antique CDV Wm Boswell Bearded Man Tweed Suit Flint MI MI
Antique CDV E G Okerlund Handsome Young Man Plaid Vest Calumet
Antique CDV J. I. Merriam Bearded Man Bow Tie Suit Red Oak IA
Antique CDV S. S. Vose Seated Victorian Woman Skowhegan me
Antique CDV G.C. Syphers Baby Toddler White Gown Lasalle Ill.
Antique CDV J. P. Murdock Man Mustache Tweed Suit Walnut IL
Antique CDV Frank Ludwig Baby White Gown Pendant Chicopee MA
Antique CDV O H Spencer Barefoot Baby White Dress Circleville OH
Antique CDV Wise's Art Gallery Young Boy Suit Cape Girardeau
Antique CDV Joseph Even Baby White Gown Hidden Mother Peru IL Oval Vignette
Antique CDV I. B. Webster Plaid Dress Child Hat Louisville
Antique CDV M. W. Burns Young Man Mustache Suit Eau Claire Wis
Antique CDV S. Wright Handsome Man Sideburns Tie Pin Providence
Antique CDV G L Hurd Bearded Man Bust Portrait Westerly Providence
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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