Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV 1870s J H Lloyd Seated Woman Lace Collar Southport England
Antique CDV 1880s E & A Quincey Man Bowler Hat Barrow in Furness UK
Antique CDV 1870s Thos Brown Young Man High Collar Jacket Maryport UK
Antique CDV Jno Hawke Portrait Woman Ringlet Hair Bow Plymouth UK
Antique CDV John Watkins Pensive Woman Silk Dress Desk London UK
Antique CDV G.W.T. Ward Bearded Man Waistcoat Pocket Watch Shoreham Sussex
Antique CDV W Sandeman Young Man Suit Pocket Square Leek Staffordshire
Antique CDV E.T. Smith Portrait Woman Cape Gown Aston Birmingham UK
Antique CDV Boning & Small Elegant Woman Fur Collar London St Leonards
Antique CDV 1880s William Salmon Handsome Man Mustache Reading England
Antique CDV 1882 Lock & Whitfield Young Woman Braided Hair Portrait London
Antique CDV 1890s American Photo CO Mabel Smith Girl Necklace Luton UK
Antique CDV Thurston Young Woman High Collar Hair Up Luton Bedfordshire
Antique CDV Thomas Fall Young Woman Military Style Braided Jacket London
Antique CDV 1880s F.M. Ramell Woman High Collar Dress Sittingbourne UK
Antique CDV William Salmon Portrait Woman Lace Collar Brooch Reading Berkshire
Antique CDV 1880s J. R. Stringer Woman High Collar Dress Sunderland UK
Antique CDV 1860s J Mann Woman Crinoline Dress Norwich Norfolk UK
Antique CDV 1860s Victorian Woman Crinoline Hoop Skirt Dress Bonnet Chair
Antique CDV 1870s Dorman Woman Portrait Northampton United Kingdom
Antique CDV 1880 W J Wellsted & Son Young Man Bow Tie Suit Hull UK
Antique CDV Sam S Starbuck Young Woman Curly Hair Alford
Antique CDV 1870s Winter Thompson Sarah Woman Victorian Dress London UK
Antique CDV London Stereoscopic CO Bearded Man Suit Tie Portrait London UK
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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