Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV J Alexander Girl Holding Basket Ruffled Dress Millport Scotland
Antique CDV 1860s E Desmaisons Young Man Suit Mustache Paris France
Antique CDV Springthorpe Young Woman Victorian Bustle Dress Ipswich UK Portrait
Antique CDV Robert W Thrupp Bearded Man Arms Crossed Birmingham UK
Antique CDV Alfred S Fisk Bawdsey Grandma Fur Cape Muff Woodbridge Suffolk UK
Antique CDV 1870s J Fisher Woman Flower Hair Lace Collar Clifton Bristol
Antique CDV West End Photo CO Handsome Man High Collar Suit Tie London UK
Antique CDV 1890s Dapper Man Bowler Hat Suit Boutonniere Monogram Back
Antique CDV 1880 S.W. Oakes Boy John Baldwin Bowler Hat Patriccroft UK
Antique CDV 1870 F Spalding Woman Patterned Dress Ringlets Chelmsford UK
Antique CDV Thomas Barns Young Man Leaning On Chair Bowler Hat Faversham
Antique CDV G Churchill Baby Toddler Velvet Dress Tufted Chair Eastbourne
Antique CDV 1865 Bowen & Carpenter Woman Plaid Dress Kilburn London UK
Antique CDV G Caldwell Woman Sailor Collar Horseshoe Brooch Nottingham UK
Antique CDV 1860s E Neville Portly Gentleman Seated Studio Portrait
Antique CDV 1870s Young Man Striped Tie High Collar Jacket Portrait
Antique CDV H. B. Medcalf Woman in Ruffled Dress Tenby South Wales
Antique CDV A. Young Woman Dark Dress Lace Collar Burntisland Scotland
Antique CDV 1880s Milton G Wilde Woman Glasses Bow Blackpool England
Antique CDV J. Wardley Handsome Young Man Double Breasted Coat Tie Lytham UK
Antique CDV 1870s Elderly Couple Husband Wife Sitting Bonnet Capelet
Antique CDV 1860s Distinguished Elderly Man Cane Velvet Collar Coat
Antique CDV H J Dovey Young Woman Fancy Hat Lace Collar Weymouth UK
Antique CDV R Slingsby Two Young Boys Double Breasted Suits Lincoln 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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