Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Wild Flowers Art Print Artwork Cute Young Girl Holding Bonnet Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Suit Bow Tie Oval Cameo Solingen Germany Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man in Frock Suit Solingen Germany C. Breuer Antique CDV
Victorian Lady Ruffled Collar Tufted Chair Rochester NY Furman Antique CDV
Young Lady Ruffle Tiered Dress By Chair Watertown NY Banta Antique CDV
Cute Boy in Three Piece Suit Bow Tie Gilbert & Bro Philadelphia Pa Antique CDV
Victorian Handsome Man With Walrus Mustache Bow Tie Suit Vignette Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Plaid Collar Tie Pocket Square Pittsfield Ma Antique CDV
Young Mother Holding Cute Toddler Cortland NY Luce Brothers Antique CDV
Victorian Lady Bustle Dress Fringe Chair Alexander Pittsburgh Pa Antique CDV
Cute Baby in Bonnet Gown Hidden Mother Victorian Studio Portrait Antique CDV
Man With Mustache in Tweed Suit & Vest Oval Pink Mount Antique CDV
Victorian Lady High Collar Dress Chain Pin Akron Oh Battels Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Suit Bow Tie Vignette Portrait Antique CDV
Two Cute Girls in Lace Collars Lancaster NH J.P. Haseltine Antique CDV
Handsome Young Man Suit Bow Tie Fringed Chair Hess Mifflintown Pa Antique CDV
Victorian Lady Lace Jabot Hair Comb Ravenna Oh J.H. Oakley Antique CDV
Cute Baby in White Dress On Fringed Chair Wellsboro Pa D.H. Naramore Antique CDV
Cute Girl in White Lace Dress By Chair Topeka KS Leonard & Martin Antique CDV
Victorian Lady Ringlet Curls Hair Bow Renovo Pa Bergstresser Antique CDV
Victorian Handsome Man in Suit & Patterned Trousers Ornate Chair Antique CDV
Lady in Fur Trimmed Dress Drop Earring Oval Bucyrus Oh J. Carson Antique CDV
Cute Girl Leaning On Fringed Armchair Bloomington il B. Gray Antique CDV
Woman Tassel Lace Cravat Tie D. Rider's Upper Sandusky Oh 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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