Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
CDV Circa 1890s Herm. Stumm Cute Child in Dress Unmarked
CDV Circa 1890s Gorgeous Lady In Dress Fancy With Brooch Unmarked
CDV Circa 1890s E. Röttger Cute Baby in Dress Recklinghausen Germany
CDV Circa 1890s Heinrich Weber Cute Baby in Dress Backnang Germany
CDV Circa 1890s Knackstedt & Näther Cute Baby Hamburg Germany
CDV Circa 1890s R. Sjöman Gorgeous Lady In Dress Stockholm Sweden
CDV Circa 1890s W. Gerlich Cute Baby In Dress Neu Ruppin
CDV Circa 1890s Atelier Germania Handsome Man with Mustache Chemnitz
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1890s JOZEF EDER HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE STANISLAWOW UKRAINE
CDV Circa 1890s J. Christoph Family Group Colmar France
CDV Circa 1890s Kansallisateljee Husband and Wife Elegant Helsinki
CDV Circa 1890s Hans Brand Gorgeous Lady In Dress Bayreuth Germany
CDV Circa 1890s Carl Köhler Children In Fancy Attire Ilsenburg Germany
CDV Circa 1890s D.F. Källman Handsome Man in Suit Ronneby Sweden
CDV Circa 1890s Hess Young Lady In Dress Goneskill NY
CDV Circa 1890s L.A. Vassel Gorgeous Lady In Dress Berlin Germany
CDV Circa 1890s H. Rands Young Lady In Fur Outfit Clapham Common
CDV Circa 1890s J. Franke Cute Child in Outfit Stockholm Sweden
CDV Circa 1890s B. Baarsen Young Girl with 2 Babies Mo I Ranen
CDV Circa 1890s Karl Escher Handsome Man with Mustache Wien Austria
CDV Circa 1890s Hellis Young Handsome Man In Suit London UK
CDV Circa 1890s B. Baarsen Old Lady with Children Mo I Rana
CDV Circa 1890s Brodrene Coldevin Gorgeous Lady Fancy Dress Mosjoeen
CDV Circa 1890s Knackstedt & Näther Young Lady In Dress Hamburg
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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