Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s R. MARKS HANDSOME OLD BEARDED MAN IN SUIT MOUNT VERNON NY
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s F.L. FRARY HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT THREE RIVERS MICH.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s PARCELL HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT KIRKSVILLE MISSOURI
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s F. GUTEKUNST OLD LADY WEARING GLASSES BOOK PHILDELPHIA PA.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s MADONNA SAINT VIRGIN MARY CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN ART UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1890s SOLDIER HOLDING RIFLE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR? UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1890s SMALL SAILBOAT WITH MEN MANNING IT ON THE WATER UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT WEARING PIN UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s WALLIN HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT FORT WAYNE INDIANA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s PHELPS & POMEROY GORGOEUS LADY FANCY SHAWL NEW HAVEN CT.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1870s CDV KING EDWARD VII WITH QUEEN ALEXANDRIA PARIS FRANCE
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s BENDANN CUTE BOY WEARING SCOTTISH KILT BALITMORE MARYLAND
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s BERKELEY CUTE YOUNG GIRL IN DRESS HOLDING DOLL STUANTON VA.
CDV CIRCA 1870s SERVICE CUTE YOUNG BOY HOLDING HOOP & STICK GAME BRIDGETON N.J.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s TATMAN & COOLEY HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE CONNERSVILLE IND
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s J.M. CARDER HANDSOME YOUNG MAN HUGE NECK CONNERSVILLE IND.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HARPER BROTHERS OLD LADY WHITE BONNET GREENVILLE OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s GILLS FOUR HANDSOME YOUNG MEN IN SUITS LANCASTER PA.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s J.H. COPELAND YOUNG LADY PLAYING GUITAR PLEASANTVILLE PA
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s LOVEDAY CUTE GIRL IN DRESS HIDDEN MOTHER CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s B.F. HALE HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT ROCHESTER NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s OLD LADY IN FANCY DRESS CIVIL WAR ERA UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s J. LOEFFLER GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS STATEN ISLAND NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s D. WOODWORTH HANDSOME BEARDED MAN HOLDING BOOK ALBANY NY
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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