Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV J. WEEKES LADY IN DRESS NORWICH CONN.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV T. M. V. DOUGHTY BOY IN SUIT WINSTED CONN.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV S. C. LANDON LADY IN DRESS NEW MILFORD CONN.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV M. MOULTHROP LADY IN DRESS NEW HAVEN CONN.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1870S CDV D. C. COLLINS LADY IN DRESS NEW HAVEN CT
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV WELLS & COLLINS HANDSOME MAN IN SUIT NEW HAVEN CONN.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV CHAS. HOMAN MAN IN SUIT NEW HAVEN CONN.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV GEO. H. HARVEY BABY IN DRESS CAMERON MISSOURI
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV J.A. SCHOLTEN LADY IN DRESS ST. LOUIS MO.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV B. SPRAGUE MAN IN SUIT NEW HAVEN CONN.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV G.N. GRANNISS MAN IN SUIT WATERBURY CONN.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV G.N. GRANNISS LADY IN DRESS WATERBURY CONN.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s GORGEOUS RISQUE LADY OFF THE SHOULDER DRESS OSCEOLA IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s LEFTWICH GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CARROLLTON MISSOURI
100 CDV AND TINTYPE PHOTO SLEEVES PACK CLEAR POLY ARCHIVAL SAFE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s S.P. DAVIS GORGEOUS CHRISTIAN LADY DANIELSONVILLE CONN.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1890s BIGELOW GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY N DRESS DETROIT MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s J.W. McLELLAN YOUNG LADY IN DRESS VALPARAISO INDIANA
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s J.C. FICKES GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS STEUBENVILLE OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s T.B. WILSON OLDER LADY IN DRESS WASHINGTON ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s EMERY E. POOL GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY SOUTH BEND INDIANA
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s A. JOHNSON GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN FANCY DRESS KEWANEE ILL.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s R.W. HOOK ROMANTIC YOUNG COUPLE ROMANTIC WAUKEGAN ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s G.N. BURLEIGH GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS TAYLORVILLE ILL.
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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