Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Cute Baby in Plaid Skirt Chair Albany NY Wagoner Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Suit By Tufted Chair Carlisle United Kingdom Antique CDV
Handsome Man With Mustache Overcoat Hat Georg Billstrom Kiel Germany Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Thin Mustache Suit Waldenburg Germany A. Leisner Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Bow Tie Frock Coat Neufs Jean Simons Phot Antique CDV
Handsome Man With Mustache Suit Tie Strassburg Mulhausen Germany Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Mustache Bow Tie Suit Oscar Breslau Germany Antique CDV
Cute Young Girl Ruffled High Collar Holyoke Ma J.D. Crane Antique CDV
Old Balding Man Mustache Lapel Pin Saarbrucken Saarbrücken Germany Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man in Overcoat Solingen Germany C. Breuer Antique CDV
Young Lady Ruffled Collar Oval Vignette Friendship NY Julius Parish Antique CDV
Young Lady Short Curls Ruffled Lace Collar Keene NH E.M. White Antique CDV
Handsome Man With Mustache Suit Egremont England United Kingdom Antique CDV
Cute Girl Ringlet Curls Ruffle Dress Syracuse NY Bonta & Curtiss Antique CDV
Victorian Lady With Curly Bangs & Ruffled Neck Jabot Collar Antique CDV
Young Victorian Lady Curly Bangs Beaded Ribbon Tie Collar Dress Antique CDV
Young Lady Ringlet Curls Lace Collar Clarinda IA Park's Gallery Antique CDV
Elderly Victorian Lady Lace Bonnet Collar Brooch Scalloped Edge Antique CDV
Young Lady in Buttoned Dress Lace Bow Tie Providence RI H.Q. Morton Antique CDV
Seated Lady Flower Hairpiece Neusatz Peter Julinacz Antique CDV
Young Lady Ruffled Collar Floral Bow Dress Allentown Pa J. Jeanes Antique CDV
Cute Baby Plaid Dress Cross Necklace Rock Chair Root Dubuque IA Antique CDV
Victorian Lady Ringlet Hair Lace Collar Horseheads NY J. Ward Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Victorian Suit Standing Collar Bow Tie Cut Card Antique CDV
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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