Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S HARDY GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S C.B. HAINES YOUNG LADY IN DRESS FRANKLIN PENNSYLVANIA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S J.H. HARRISON GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS GALESBURG ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S A.C. FALOR GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS BEREA OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S H.J. DAVIS LADY IN DRESS GREENFIELD MASSACHUSETTS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S F.M. TAFT OLD LADY IN DRESS BELLOWS FALLS VERMONT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S ANDERSON YOUNG LADY IN FANCY DRESS HAVERHILL MASS.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S LATTO ELEGANT LADY IN FANCY DRESS BOSTON MASS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S BUNKER GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS DAYTON OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S E.M. WHITE YOUNG LADY IN DRESS KEENE NEW HAMPSHIRE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S JC ELINWOOD YOUNG LADY IN DRESS MANCHESTER NEW HAMPSHIRE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S HALL LADY IN DRESS CURLED HAIR LITTLETON NEW HAMPSHIRE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S J.P. HEARN GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS UNION CITY PA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S GORGEOUS LADY IN LACE DRESS UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S FRED S. CROWELL YOUNG GIRL FANCY DRESS OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S A.M. ALLEN YOUNG GIRL BRAIDED HAIR POTTSVILLE PA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S LINDENMUTH LADY IN DRESS ALLENTOWN PENNSYLVANIA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S F.W. BACON HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE ROCHESTER NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S P.B. VICKERY HANDSOME MAN W/BEARD IN SUIT HAVERHILL
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S SIMON KRUG CUTE CHILDREN CINCINNATI OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S J.G. HILL GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS MONROE MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S JOE E. SANDERS HANDSOME MAN MUSTACHE SUIT CANTON ILL
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S J.A. CAMPBELL GORGEOUS LADY FANCY DRESS ADA OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S DURYEA LADY IN DRESS BROOKLYN NEW YORK
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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