Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
CIRCA 1890s CDV HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT CULRY HAIR UNMARKED
CIRCA 1890s CDV MAC COLLIN HANDSOME TEENAGE BOY IN SUIT WILLIAMSPORT PENN.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s SNYDER HANDSOME MAN IN SUIT TOPEKA KS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s A.W.F. MacCOLLIN MAN WITH MUSTACHE WILLIAMSPORT PENN.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s RHOADS HANDSOME YOUNG MAN PHILADELPHIA PA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s F. F. FUTHILL HANDSOME YOUNG MAN MARAVIA NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s POTTER HANDSOME MAN IN SUIT WITH MUSTACHE INDIANAPOLIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s WHIPPLE HANDSOME BEARDED MAN BOSTON MA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT DETAILED UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s FURMAN HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT ROCHESTER NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s EVANS HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE CORNING NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s J. RENNIE SMITH HANDSOME YOUNG MAN NEWARK NJ
ANTIQUE CDV 1881 J.W. UPHAM HANDSOME YOUNG MAN JAMESTOWN NY ALBUM PRINT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s NEW ENGLAND GALLERY HANDSOME BEARDED MAN WARREN OH
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s HANDSOME MAN IN SUIT WITH MUSTACHE UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s BETTS HANDSOME YOUNG MAN DANSVILLE NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s OLD MAN IN SUIT WITH MUSTACHE DETAILED UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s PACKARD HANDSOME TEENAGE BOY KALAMAZOO MI
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s 2C WA CIVIL WAR TAX STAMP MAN WITH MUSTACHE
CIRCA 1900s CDV N. THIIRING LADY IN DRESS NAMED LUND SWEDEN
CIRCA 1860s CDV YOUNG MAN IN SUIT SITTING IN CHAIR DETAILED UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s M.N. CROCKER HANDSOME OLD BEARDED MAN PERRY NY
CIRCA 1870s CDV J.E. RICH BEARDED MAN IN SUIT CHARLES CITY IA ALBUM PRINT
CIRCA 1890s CDV L.A. FRAGEAU LADY IN FANCY BLACK DRESS 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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