Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
CDV Circa 1890s M. Appel Young Cute Children Plaid Hamburg
CDV Circa 1890s P. Benincasa Gorgeous Lady Spotted Dress Messina
CDV Circa 1890s O. Graf Cute Baby In Dress Neumünster Germany
CDV Circa 1890s Hermann Tietz Lady In Dress Berlin Germany
CDV Circa 1890s J. Ebenbauer Young Lady In Blouse Ettenheim Germany
CDV Circa 1890s Unknown Cute Baby In White Gown Unmarked
CDV Circa 1890s Lady In Dress Tampere Finland
CDV Circa 1890s Young Boy In Suit Unmarked
CDV Circa 1890s Stimson Cute Baby In Gown Appleton Wisconsin
CDV Circa 1890s Henry Young Lady In White Gown Nevers France
CDV Circa 1890s E. Steiner Young Boy In Suit Breslau
CDV Circa 1890s Young Boys In Striped Attire Unmarked
CDV Circa 1890s Weidner Young Boy In Suit Quakertown PA
CDV Circa 1890s K. Nyblin Gorgeous Lady In Dress Bergen Norway
CDV Circa 1890s Ad. Petersen Old Bearded Man In Suit Allinge
CDV Circa 1890s H. Siggelkow Cute Baby in Dress Buxtehude Germany
CDV Circa 1890s Eud. Tenkanen Handsome Man In Suit Unmarked
CDV Circa 1890s J. Indursky Gorgeous Lady Fancy Dress Wiborg
CDV Circa 1890s H. Rundstein Young Lady In Dress Winterthur
CDV Circa 1890s Hermann Tietz Handsome Man with Mustache Hamburg
CDV Circa 1890s John White Lady In Dress Ipswich
CDV Circa 1890s R. Sjöman Gorgeous Lady In Dress Stockholm Sweden
CDV Circa 1890s Dalph J. Schnieber Young Girl Asbury Park NJ
CDV Circa 1890s R. Sjöman Gorgeous Lady In Dress Stockholm
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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