Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique Cdv Circa 1880s Adorable Young Boy In Coat Wearing Striped Bow Unknown
Antique Cdv Circa 1880s Scholl Cute Young Girl In Ruffled Dress Philadelphia Pa
Antique Cdv Circa 1880s H. R. Buser Young Teenage Boy In Suit Cedar Rapids Iowa
Antique Cdv Circa 1880s Young Handsome Man In Suit With Bow Tie Clean Shaven
Antique Cdv Circa 1880s Ramsey Young Cute Girl In Dress New Lisbon Wisconsin
Antique Cdv Circa 1880s J.b. Partridge Young Handsome Man In Suit Boston Ma
Antique Cdv Circa 1880s Cute Young Boy In Suit With Bow Tie Seated Portrait
Antique Cdv Circa 1880s Cute Baby In Dress Reclining On Cushion Vintage Portrait
Antique Cdv Circa 1880s Gorgeous Lady In Dress Wearing Hat Standing Unmarked
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s Gage Husband & Wife Romantic Couple Lady Menomonee Mi
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s G. G. Oyloe Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Ossian Ia
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s L. Burno Gorgeous Lady With Braided Hair Tekamah Ne
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s A. J. Fox Handsome Bearded Man In Suit St. Louis Mo
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s B. J. Gleason Young Handsome Man In Suit Wheaton Il
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s Crutcherson Man W/ Mustache In Suit Seated Worcester Ma
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s T. Shaw Husband & Wife Romantic Couple Chagrin Falls Oh
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s Farmer Bros. Young Lady In Dress & Cute Boy Hamilton On
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s C.b. Tracy Handsome Man With Mustache In Suit Pana Il
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s Asbury Leonard Bearded Man In Suit Bellefontaine Ohio
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s J. W. Emery Handsome Man With Mustache In Suit Galva Il
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s D.c. Smith Handsome Bearded Man In Suit Blair Nebraska
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s F. Cornell Handsome Man W/ Mustache In Suit Lansing Ia
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s Cook & Fenwick Bearded Man In Suit Bloomington Illinois
Antique Cdv Circa 1870s E.s. Danshee Gorgeous Lady W/ Braided Hair 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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