Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Arthur Eason Young Man Double Breasted Coat London England
Antique CDV Arthur Eason Young Man Goatee Beard Suit Tie London England UK
Antique CDV Augustus W Wilson Woman Velvet Patterned Dress Brooch Kingsland UK
Antique CDV Arthur Eason Balding Man Beard Suit Dalston Lane London England
Antique CDV Fehrenbach Handsome Man Mustache Bow Tie Suit 111 Strand London UK
Antique CDV Alfred Cox & CO Young Man Checked Jacket High Collar Nottingham UK
Antique CDV Low Photographer Bearded Man Cane Top Hat Glasgow Scotland
Antique CDV 1890s Elegant Young Woman High Collar Lace Trim Portrait
Antique CDV T. A. Grut Mother & Child Guernsey Channel Islands Portrait
Antique CDV 1870s Bald Elderly Gentleman Sideburns Clerical Collar Coat
Antique CDV H Mower Young Man Goatee Mustache Suit Exeter Devon UK Portrait
Antique CDV P.P. Skeolan Young Girl Dress Chair Table Leeds Harrogate UK
Antique CDV 1880s Toddler Boy Fur Collar Coat Baby Sitting Ornate Chair
Antique CDV S Hughes Boy in Suit Standing By Fringed Chair Shenandoah PA
Antique CDV J. H. Killick Baby Girl White Dress Fur Rug London UK Photograph
Antique CDV E.T.F. Goodwin Handsome Man Mustache Suit London England UK
Antique CDV W Rodgers Young Girl Portrait Necklace Pendant Montrose UK
Antique CDV Chas J Thompson Victorian Woman Striped Dress Norwich Norfolk UK
Antique CDV 1880s Ws Bradshaw Man Sitting On Fringed Chair London UK
Antique CDV 1870 Mayall Baby William Lockhart 7 Months Brighton London
Antique CDV J R Ryles Uncle Walker Bearded Man Portrait Burslem Staffordshire
Antique CDV 1880s Joh Grilnberger Two Young Girls Matching Dresses Enns
Antique CDV 1870s Man Scottish Glengarry Bonnet Cap Suit Chair Studio
Antique CDV Unmarked
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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