Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Circa 1880s A. Hevy Cute Young Girl Spencer MA
Antique CDV Circa 1880s N.E. Lutes Lady Portland Maine
Antique CDV Circa 1880s A.J. Clark Lady In Dress Ypsilanti MI
Antique CDV Circa 1880s T. H. Campbell Lady Mansfield OH
Antique CDV Circa 1880s W.H. Brummitt Handsome Man Pontiac MI
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Young Man In Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Handsome Man with Mustache Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s W.B. Taylor Cute Child Sharon PA
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Old Handsome Man in Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Cute Baby Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s A.J. Simpson Young Girl Lowell MA
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Baby Cute In Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Gorgeous Lady In Dress Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s J.W. Graeff Handsome Man Lebanon PA
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Bearded Man In Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s S.A. Dexter Cute Baby Providence RI
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Bearded Man In Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s E.R. Higbee Cute Girl Chagrin Falls OH
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Gorgeous Young Lady New York
Antique CDV Circa 1860s E.B. Franklin Young Boy Pawtucket RI
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Husband and Wife Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Chamberlain & Swain Handsome Man
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Handsome Young Man In Suit Unmarked
Antique CDV Circa 1860s Handsome Man in Suit 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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