Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Circa 1880s A.M. Powers Handsome Young Man Schenectady NY
Antique CDV Circa 1880s E. Carter Handsome Man in Suit Worcester MA
Antique CDV Circa 1880s F.J. Weber Old Lady In Dress Erie PA
Antique CDV Circa 1880s C.W. Pach Handsome Man In Suit New York NY
Antique CDV Circa 1880s O.A. Dolph Gorgeous Lady Fancy Dress Ohio
Antique CDV Circa 1880s W. Harrison Bearded Man In Suit Galesburg IL
Antique CDV Circa 1880s T.J. Cornwell Handsome Bearded Man Arcade NY
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Rich. Blomdahl Handsome Man In Suit Stockholm
Antique CDV Circa 1880s M.P. & A.I. Rice Handsome Man In Suit DC
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Wilkin Husband and Wife Charles City Iowa
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Geo. H. Leck Gorgeous Lady In Dress Lawrence MA
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Turner Lady In Dress Boston Massachusetts
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Tax Husband and Wife Romantic Couple Mendota IL
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Richardson Bros Cute Girl Sparta Wisconsin
Antique CDV Circa 1880s W. Tibbetts Husband and Wife Dumfries Scotland
Antique CDV Circa 1880s H. Brandseph Bearded Man Stuttgart Germany
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Olle Presto Handsome Man in Suit Vänersborg
Antique CDV Circa 1880s Johnson Gorgeous Lady In Dress Theresa NY
Antique CDV Circa 1880s W. Gothard Husband and Wife Wakefield UK
Antique CDV Circa 1880s A.W. Cox Handsome Man with Mustache Nottingham
Antique CDV Circa 1880s G.W. Chandler Gorgeous Lady In Dress Bangor Maine
Antique CDV Circa 1880s H.C. Phillips Gorgeous Lady In Dress Philadelphia
Antique CDV Circa 1880s J.H. Steffey Handsome Man In Suit Mt. Union Ohio
Antique CDV Circa 1880s H. Bousley Gorgeous Lady In Dress Salem MA
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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