Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Handsome Young Man Suit Bow Tie Greifswald Germany Heinr. Zobler Antique CDV
Handsome Mustache Man in Frock Coat Seated Desk Magdeburg Germany Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Velvet Collar Coat Hamburg Germany Wilh. Dihle Antique CDV
Handsome Man With Mustache in Striped Coat Black Border Vignette Antique CDV
Handsome Bearded Man in Suit Bow Tie Anclam Germany Franz Weile Antique CDV
Cute Baby in White Dress Seated On Tufted Chaise Bridgeport CT Betts Antique CDV
Handsome Bearded Man in Bow Tie Suit Le Havre France Emile Tourtin Antique CDV
Victorian Lady Center Part Curls Lace Jabot Trenton NJ H.C. Lovejoy Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Striped Suit Bow Tie Frankfurt Germany Antique CDV
Handsome Man Mustache High Collar Bonn Germany Jean Baptiste Feilner Antique CDV
Young Man Glasses Mustache Bow Tie Coat Mehlert Meldorf Germany Antique CDV
Young Girl in Bustle Dress Standing By Fringed Upholstered Armchair Antique CDV
Cute Young Girl Ruffled Dress Long Hair Troy NY Schoonmaker & Co. Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man in Double Breasted Suit Seated in Chair Antique CDV
Victorian Lady White Lace Bow Collar Oval Cameo Portrait Antique CDV
Two Young Ladies in Dark High Collar Dresses Kjöbenhavn Denmark Antique CDV
Mother With Boy in Suit & Girl in Ruffled Dress Glasgow Scotland Antique CDV
Young Lady Holding Book in Fringe Chair Middletown CT Oldershaw Antique CDV
Young Lady Lace Fichu Scarf Earrings Sweeney Mt. Pleasant MI Antique CDV
Young Handsome Man in Double Breasted Suit Goteborg Göteborg Sweden Antique CDV
Cute Baby in Long White Victorian Christening Gown Vignette Antique CDV
Philip Melanchthon Fur Coat Holding Book Earle Philadelphia Pa Antique CDV
Cute Baby Bertha Brooks White Gown Portrait Lewiston me Antique CDV
Victorian Lady With Brooch Chain Necklace & Button Dress Portrait Antique CDV
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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