Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV 1870 H Bowness Bearded Man in Armchair Bowler Hat Ambleside
Antique CDV Clarke & CO Bearded Man Suit Tie Portrait Maidstone Kent UK
Antique CDV W. West Seated Woman Dark Dress Lace Collar Maidstone UK
Antique CDV Napln Syrus Toddler Girl Standing On Chair Toy Horse London UK
Antique CDV 1880 A. & G. Taylor Woman Ruffled Collar Necklace London UK
Antique CDV 1870s A.D. Lewis John Allison Bearded Man Newcastle-On-Tyne
Antique CDV Napln Syrus Seated Man Mustache Suit Watch Chain London
Antique CDV 1890s H.W. Clark Young Woman Curly Hair Collar Forest Gate
Antique CDV London School Of Photography Bearded Man Suit Portrait London UK
Antique CDV Sydney Victor White Ernest E White Man Double Breasted Coat Reading
Antique CDV 1870s Davis Young Man Beard Wavy Hair Suit Tie Luton England
Antique CDV Fred Thurston Bearded Man Mustache Portrait Luton England 1889
Antique CDV 1880s A & G Taylor Handsome Man Mustache Suit Tie London UK
Antique CDV 1880s John Hawke Woman Fur Collar Brooch Plymouth UK
Antique CDV 1882 Thos Smith & Sons Young Woman Ruffled Collar Brigg Lincolnshire
Antique CDV 1880s Naudin Elegant Woman Seated Lace Cuffs Dress London UK
Antique CDV 1880 Webster Bros Young Woman Reading Book Bayswater London
Antique CDV 1870s Young Man Vignette Portrait Curly Hair Bow Tie Suit
Antique CDV S. Long Victorian Woman Velvet Jacket Crinoline Skirt Woolwich UK
Antique CDV 1880s H.J. Whitlock Young Girl Velvet Dress Lace Birmingham
Antique CDV C. L. Howe & Son Baby Toddler White Lace Dress Chair Brattleboro
Antique CDV 1870s Patton & Dietrich Elderly Woman Dark Dress Reading PA
Antique CDV 1860s Young Woman Hairnet Snood Civil War Tax Stamp Portrait
Antique CDV 1870s G M Carter Emma Bassett Lowville NY Woman Updo Jewelry
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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