Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV 1860s Young Woman Cross Necklace Hoop Skirt Dress Book Table
Antique CDV 1873 Adams & Stilliard Young Woman Portrait Southampton UK
Antique CDV 1880s Boy in Suit Standing By Wire Chair Outdoor Portrait
Antique CDV 1880s Bust Portrait Woman High Collar Lace Trim Ruffled Neck
Antique CDV 1880s A & G Taylor Young Man Standing Studio Portrait London
Antique CDV 1860s Sulman & CO Woman Crinoline Dress Upper Holloway London
Antique CDV W.S. Davey Woman Crinoline Hoop Skirt Dress Gloster Gloucester UK
Antique CDV 1880s William End Swift Woman Hat Shawl Skegness Derby UK
Antique CDV 1870s Byrne & CO Bearded Man Seated Armchair Richmond UK
Antique CDV 1880 Mayhew Two Men Dapper Suits Chairs Inverness Scotland
Antique CDV 1880 W Eskett Woman High Collar Brooch Lendal York England
Antique CDV Anfossi & Radiguet Woman Fancy Hat Double Breasted Coat Menton
Antique CDV 1870s Mr & Mrs Bustin Bearded Man Portrait Hereford Ross UK
Antique CDV 1870s Bustin Woman Elegant Silk Gown Hereford Ross England
Antique CDV 1870 Maull & CO Bearded Man Sitting in Carved Chair London UK
Antique CDV 1880 J S Hazard Baby Sitting Fur Chair Clapham London UK
Antique CDV 1860s G Lester Seated Woman Silk Crinoline Dress Manchester UK
Antique CDV Lacombe & Lacroix Young Woman Portrait Geneva Switzerland
Antique CDV William Hall Young Man Suit Tie Portrait Brighton UK
Antique CDV C. Shakespeare Three Men Suits Bowler Hat Chelsea London UK
Antique CDV F.W. Dyer Elderly Bearded Man Oval Portrait Trowbridge UK
Antique CDV W Hardman Side Profile Man Beard Suit Micklegate York UK
Antique CDV J. Nunn Baby Girl Blue Tinted Dress Holding Dog Puppy Needham
Antique CDV Geo Duce Young Man Frock Coat Top Hat Pillar New Wortley Leeds 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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