Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV Circa M. Harris Stern Woman Seated Fremont OH
Antique CDV Circa A. Whissemore Seated Woman in Silk Dress Mansfield OH
Antique CDV Circa G. W. Twining Woman in Silk Dress Findlay OH
Antique CDV Circa Peoples' Gallery Baby in Long Gown Springfield OH
Antique CDV Circa Walt A. Smith Young Boy With Straw Hat Newark
Antique CDV Circa P. Hawk Handsome Man Mustache West Hamilton OH
Antique CDV Circa L. N. Sackett Man And Woman Medina
Antique CDV Circa J. N. Sackett Pretty Woman Medina OH
Antique CDV Circa Benj. Lochman Man And Woman Couple Allentown PA
Antique CDV S. B. Hoffmeier Man And Woman Couple Easton PA
Antique CDV Circa W. H. Heiss Elderly Couple Portrait Lebanon CO. PA
Antique CDV Circa Von Nieda & Bro. Seated Woman Durlach Lancaster County PA
Antique CDV Circa Wenderoth Taylor & Brown Young Man Seated Philadelphia PA
Antique CDV Circa E. B. Williams Elderly Man Utica NY
Antique CDV Circa H. S. Mather Woman in Striped Dress Cazenovia NY
Antique CDV B. T. Hinckley Young Man Seated in Suit Camden NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s B.B. TIFFANY HANDSOME YOUNG MAN in SUIT in PA.
Antique CDV T. J. Trapp Man And Woman Portrait Williamsport PA
Antique CDV Circa J. Gurney & Son Man With Mustache NY NY
Antique CDV Circa C. Burgess Young Man in Suit Troy NY
Antique CDV Circa Biffar's Photographic Gallery Seated Woman Williamsburgh NY
Antique CDV S. J. Thompson & CO. Young Man in Three Piece Suit Albany NY
Antique CDV Circa C.H. Williamson Bearded Man Seated At Table Brooklyn NY
Antique CDV Circa Abbott Woman in Studded Dress 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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