Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S GORGEOUS LADY W/ EARRINGS UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S CHAS. A. SAYLOR YOUNG LADY IN DRESS READING PENNSYLVANIA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860S J. SHADLE HANDSOME MAN & LADY GREENSBURG PA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S STARKE & BARTON YOUNG LADY FANCY DRESS ZANESVILLE OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S YOUNG LADY IN DRESS FANCY HAIR UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S GILLESPIE & PALAND OLD LADY IN DRESS NEW CASTLE PA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S L.A. SAWYER GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS PHILAD'A PA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S F. JAS. EVANS ELDERLY LADY IN DRESS YORK PENNSYLVANIA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S CHAS. A. SAYLER COUPLE READING PENNSYLVANIA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S E.D. JEANES YOUNG LADY IN DRESS ALLENTOWN PENNSYLVANIA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S TOLLES & SEELY OLD LADY IN DRESS ITHACA NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S HAMBLETON & POTTER GORGEOUS LADY FANCY DRESS BUFFALO NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S N.A.A. CAZEN YOUNG LADY FANCY DRESS JOHNSTOWN NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S E.B. WILLIAMS YOUNG GIRL FANCY DRESS UTICA NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S J.W. RACE GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS BROOKLYN NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S RABINEAU GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS ALBANY NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860S B.F. TROXELL LADY IN DRESS BROOKLYN NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S J.C. PATRICK GORGEOUS LADY FANCY DRESS NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S S.A. MEYERS GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS SARATOGA SPRINGS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S S.H. MYERS GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS SARATOGA SPRINGS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S E.S. HALL GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS HOOPESTON ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S D.C. HUSTON GORGEOUS LADY IN FANCY DRESS ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S RICHARDSON HUSBAND WIFE COUPLE BROOKLYN NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S SUDDARD LADY IN DRESS CHRISTIAN PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND
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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