Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV 1880s H Hallier Woman Dark Dress Book Walsall Staffordshire
Antique CDV 1860s Mother Holding Baby Bonnet Lace Collar Mourning Dress
Antique CDV 1880s Stuart Handsome Young Man Striped Tie Glasgow Scotland
Antique CDV 1880s Owen Angel Woman Satin Dress Ruffles Exeter Devon UK
Antique CDV 1870s Messrs Clayton Seated Woman Book Nottingham England
Antique CDV A.W. Cox & Son Bearded Man Profile Portrait Nottingham UK
Antique CDV M. Cummings Young Boy Double Breasted Coat Alloa Scotland
Antique CDV 1870s D Davidson Mother Baby Dunse Scotland Victorian Dress
Antique CDV 1870s David Rees Young Woman Large Bow Collar London UK
Antique CDV 1880 Leon Jude Woman Lace Bodice Dress Portrait Arras France
Antique CDV Alexander Bassano Woman Cameo Brooch Earring Portrait London
Antique CDV H. Cooper Lady Straw Hat Book Northampton United Kingdom
Antique CDV T. Smith Cute Young Boy Brigg England
Antique CDV 1860s Woman Tiered Ruffle Dress Leaning On Pedestal Backdrop
Antique CDV 1880s R Banks Woman Lace Collar Patterned Dress Manchester UK
Antique CDV 1870s J Lucas Profile Portrait Woman Bonnet Bayswater London
Antique CDV Rees Brother & Sons Bearded Man Clerical Coat London UK
Antique CDV E. E. Smerdon Man Mustache Suit Vest Tie Newport Isle Of Wight
Antique CDV 1886 Medrington Young Man Mustache Suit Liverpool UK
Antique CDV 1890 W Butcher Woman Fur Coat Muff Hat Cambridge UK
Antique CDV 1879 W.H. Prestwich Woman Oval Portrait London UK
Antique CDV J Hubert Elderly Man Sideburns High Collar Hackney London UK
Antique CDV J.S. Farrer Handsome Man Mustache Tweed Jacket Brampton Wetheral UK
Antique CDV 1880 London Photographic CO Woman Profile Portrait Bayswater
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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