Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV H. B. Collis Canterbury Toddler Girl White Lace Dress Toy
Antique CDV Young Woman Patterned High Collar Dress Embossed Card
Antique CDV Crillon Young Man Button Jacket Portrait Paris France
Antique CDV Lefalber Handsome Man Mustache Suit Tie Nantes France
Antique CDV Eldridge Baby Child Gown Checker Quilt Farnboro UK
Antique CDV Victorian Woman Ruffle High Collar Bow Ribbon Black Mount
Antique CDV W Boughton Sons Young Man 18 Yrs Old Suit Lynn UK
Antique CDV Jules Lavier Young Girl Lace Collar Bow Portrait Paris France
Antique CDV Alfred Back Woman Lace Collar Gothenburg Sweden Goteborg
Antique CDV B Lauro Elderly Woman Lace Shawl Bonnet Fan Nice France
Antique CDV Ovesen Handsome Man Mustache Suit Helsingfors Finland
Antique CDV G Broman Young Woman High Collar Dress Mikkeli Finland
Antique CDV Mathilda Ranch Elvira Young Swedish Girl Portrait Warberg
Antique CDV Lindheborg Victorian Woman Ruffled Dark Dress Jonkoping Sweden
Antique CDV P Andersson Young Woman Bow Tie Winslof Sweden
Antique CDV Young Victorian Woman Choker Necklace Embroidered Dress
Antique CDV Atelier H. Vollger Young Man Portrait Bern Marktgasse Switzerland
Antique CDV Wykes Infant Baby Long White Christening Gown Grand Rapids
Antique CDV Robert Atherton Standing Man Light Suit Manchester UK
Antique CDV Nemo Cute Toddler Child in Chair Basket Kalisz Poland
Antique CDV James Lawson Two Children Tufted Armchair Forres Scotland
Antique CDV W Elliot Standing Woman Hoop Skirt Crinoline Penrith UK
Antique CDV Jose Maria Bravo Couple Standing Serena Chile Wedding
Antique CDV W H Hammer Two Young Brothers Matching Suits St Austell
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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