Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV C. 1860s Cute Young Boys In Military School Uniforms Civil War Era
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Alfredo Noack Scenic View Carignano Bridge Genoa Italy
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Large Group Of Cute Children And Adults School Photo
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Dengler Cute Hunchback Young Boy In Suit Slatington Pa
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Élisabeth Philippe Marie Hélène of France Princess
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Wright Handsome Young Priest In Robe Terre Haute Indiana
Antique CDV C. 1890s Young Gorgeous Lady Curly Hair Bow Floral Dress Hunchback
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Josie Mansfield Actress Murder James Fisk Mistress
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Gorgeous Lady Allie Miller Piano Nova Scotia Canada
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Gorgeous Lady In Elegant Dress Piano Nova Scotia Canada
Antique CDV 1874 Prof. Niram Corson Cornell University literature Ithaca NY
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Man Writing Scroll Wearing Turban Norwalk Ohio
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Handsome Man With Mustache Playing Harp Guitar Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Large Factory Mill Building Clock Tower Chimney Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Large Victorian House Tower Turret Picket Fence Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Handsome Bearded Man Civil War Officer Soldier
Antique CDV Circa 1860s J. Gurney & Son Handsome Young Man Prince Of Wales NY
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Geo. R. Kidder Handsome Young Hunchback Boy Watertown MA
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Sir Stafford Northcote Chancellor of the Exchequer
Antique CDV Circa 1870s George R Kidder Young Teenage Boy Hunchback Watertown MA
Antique CDV Circa 1870s Young Gorgeous Lady Kate Newton Actress Curly Hair
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Dan. W. Smith Old Bearded Man In Suit Elkhart IN
Antique CDV Circa 1890s African American Gorgeous Woman IN Checkered Dress With
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Geo. H. Wood Cute Baby In White Lace Dress Towanda Pa
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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