Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV L Larsson Man Mustache Plaid Jacket John Beck Stockholm Sweden
Antique CDV 1870s Toddler Child Sitting On Bench Coat Dress Boots
Antique CDV T Taylor Young Couple Victorian Fashion London UK
Antique CDV A & G Taylor Bearded Man Polka Dot Cravat Collar Worcester UK
Antique CDV 1870s A.T. Osbourne Bearded Man Portrait Lincoln England UK
Antique CDV 1890s Young Woman Pearl Choker Necklace Lace Collar Blouse
Antique CDV Naudin Handsome Young Man Mustache High Collar Kensington London UK
Antique CDV G.V. Yates Woman Lace Collar Striped Bodice Sheffield England
Antique CDV 1860s Jones Woman Striped Silk Dress Marlborough Wiltshire
Antique CDV J. R. Brown Woman Ringlet Curls Striped Dress Morrison Illinois
Antique CDV Spencer's Gallery Young Woman Ringlet Curls Mansfield Penna PA
Antique CDV 1880s C.F. Conly Bust Portrait Young Woman Boston
Antique CDV A E Alden Woman Center Part Hair Dark Dress Springfield
Antique CDV Yeaw & CO Woman Lace Collar Ringlet Hair Lawrence Massachusetts
Antique CDV 1860s Vignette Portrait Young Woman Lace Collar Ribbon Bow
Antique CDV 1870s Bearded Man Oval Portrait Suit Bow Tie Bust Shot
Antique CDV 1870s Handsome Young Man Vignette Portrait Side Part Hair
Antique CDV 1870s Handsome Young Man Bow Tie Vignette Portrait Photo
Antique CDV Francis E Dwight Woman Braided Hair Bow Tie East Rockford Illinois
Antique CDV Unmarked
Antique CDV Jw Clarke Young Man Suit Oval Portrait Bury St Edmunds UK
Antique CDV George Dear Young Woman High Collar Jacket Curly Hair Sheffield UK
Antique CDV 1880s Watson Baby Toddler Child Fur Chair Lace Dress Hull UK
Antique CDV 1870s W E Dalton Young Girl Thebiah Aged 15 Sheffield 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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