Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV James Mccracken Bearded Man Sitting Suit Bowtie
Antique CDV H & H Johanson Young Handsome Man Visby Sweden Suit Tie
Antique CDV Gottfr. Petterson Arthur Standing Man Suit Mariannelund Sweden
Antique CDV Cute Baby Infant Long White Lace Christening Gown Dress
Antique CDV E. Porter Handsome Man Mustache Cravat Connellsville PA
Antique CDV Atelier H Vollger Two Victorian Women Bern Switzerland
Antique CDV Gebr Kolla Sailor Dress Toddler Bertha Bern Thun Swiss
Antique CDV A Wicky Mustache Man Suit Bern Interlaken Switzerland
Antique CDV Hans Konig Two Young Boys Matching Suits Toy Horse Thun Switzerland
Antique CDV Nadar Portrait Elegant Woman Lace Collar Paris France
Antique CDV Two Young Girls Sisters Full Skirt Dresses Ghost Image
Antique CDV Wm L Teush Mother Two Children Gingham Boonton
Antique CDV Henry Delgay Woman Lace Collar Puffed Sleeves Toulouse
Antique CDV Young Victorian Girl Ruffled Collar Lace Dress Bows Chair
Antique CDV Chr Thomsen Young Woman Victorian Dress Copenhagen Denmark
Antique CDV Victorian Couple Man Seated Woman Standing Long Dress
Antique CDV Carl Wolf Woman Buttoned Bodice Celle Stade Germany
Antique CDV W.F. Boyd Plaid Dress Mother Daughter Seattle Washington
Antique CDV J Proctor Woman Straw Hat Bustle Dress Corning Iowa
Antique CDV French Warren O Woman Portrait Friendship Photos Card
Antique CDV Tibbals Baby White Gown Gown Millersburg O Ohio
Antique CDV Victorian Woman Double Breasted Buttoned Jacket Hair Bangs
Antique CDV Atelier G. Sasfe Young Man Suit Nordseebad Norderney Germany
Antique CDV C Arthur Brownell Young Boy Es Bush Fremont Ohio Photograph
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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