Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S J.O. OLESON YOUNG LADY IN DRESS DEKALB ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S JNO. B. MAY GORGEOUS LADY WATERTOWN WISCONSIN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S NORTH & OSWALD GORGEOUS LADY FANCY DRESS TOLEDO OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S G.S. MOORE OLD LADY IN DRESS NEW LISBON OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S HENRY SHURTLEFF OLD LADY IN DRESS AMBOY ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S E.W. KRAUSE YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S C.A. WINSOR GORGEOUS LADY IN FANCY DRESS GALESBURG ILLS.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S B.L. RIDER GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S B. S. RIDER YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S B.L. RIDER GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S SHERIDAN YOUNG LADY IN DRESS COUNCIL BLUFFS IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S I.L. TOWNSEND LADY IN DRESS IOWA FALLS IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S WALTER & WEIDMAN LADY IN FANCY DRESS MANCHESTER IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S A. PEARSALL GORGEOUS LADY FANCY DRESS BROOKLYN NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S HASTINGS WHITE & FISHER OLD LADY DAVENPORT IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S H.L. WALTER OLD LADY IN DRESS MANCHESTER IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S HENSHEL YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S H. LOVEDAY YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S CUMMINGS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS LANCASTER PA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S HART LADY IN FANCY DRESS WATERTOWN NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S METCALF & WELLDON GORGEOUS LADY BRAIDED HAIR BOSTON
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S SCHOFIELD BROS YOUNG LADY WESTERLY RHODE ISLAND
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S W.E. SPATTOW GORGEOUS LADY WITH FLOWERS PHOENIX NY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S RABINEAU LADY IN DRESS ALBANY 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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