Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s J.E. BLISS CUTE LITTLE GIRL HOLDING BALL CAMBRIDGE UK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s ABBOTT CUTE LITTLE GIRL IN DRESS HOLDING DOLL OXFORD UK
ANTIQUE CDV OTTO VON BISMARK PRUSSIAN STATESMAN UNIFIED GERMANY PARIS FRANCE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s BOURSE STOCK EXCHANGE PARIS FRANCE HISTORICAL BUILDING
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s REVEREND PRIEST WEARING CROSS IN ROBES AVRANCHES FRANCE
ANTIQUE CDV 1880 DIE RHEINLANDE HOTEL EXTERIOR BERLIN GERMANY LANDSCAPE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s CHESTER CATHEDRAL INTERIOR OF CHOIR UK ENGLAND
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s HANDSOME YOUNG MEN NEXT TO BOAT LARGE SHIP IN BACKGROUND
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s "TUG OF WAR" BABY AND DOG FIGHTING OVER DOLL LONDON UK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s E. MORIER THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION MARY PARIS FRANCE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s E. MORIER JESUS CHRIST NAILED ON THE CROSS PARIS FRANCE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s J.C. SPOONER HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT CONGRESS MASS.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s BAILEY DAG COPY BEARDED MAN IN SUIT KENSINGTON UK
ANTIQUE CDV 1897 "THE TIMES" NEWSPAPER ARTICLE MARRIAGES LONDON UK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s BRISTOL CATHEDRAL CHURCH INTERIOR GOTHIC STYLE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s MARY QUEEN OF THE SCOTS ROYALTY ALBUM FILLER
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s ST. MARY REDCLIFFE CHURCH INTERRIOR LOOKING EAST BRISTOL UK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s HERTZ CROSS-EYED BEARDED MAN IN SUIT HULL ENGLAND
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s PARISIAN YOUNG LADIES HOLDING BADMINTON RACKET EDINBURGH UK
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s R. BANKS CUTE GIRL PLAYING FLUTE FANCY OUTFIT MANCHETER UK
ANTIQUE CDV 1898 "THE TIMES" NEWSPAPER ARTICLE MARRIAGES LONDON UK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s PROTHEROE CUTE BOY IN GRADUTATION ATIRE BRISTOL UK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s FISCHER CUTE GIRL HOLDING CDV MANCHESTER ENGLAND
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s LOVELY MOTHER HOLDING HER BABY IN WHITE DRESS UNMARKED
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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