Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV G. B. BILLINGE GORGEOUS LADY LEBANON N.H.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV JOHN DAILY HANDSOME MAN IN SUIT LEBANON PA.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1870S CDV STAR GALLERY LADY IN DRESS YORK PENNSYLVANIA
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV BIGELOW GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS GRAND RAPIDS MICH.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV R. A. LEWIS LADY IN DRESS NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV OLDER LADY IN DRESS CIVIL WAR ERA ALBUM PRINT UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV WM. STROUD LADY & BABY NORRISTOWN PA.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV MONFORT & HILL COUPLE, BURLINGTON IOWA
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV TWINING & TWIFORD GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS BURLINGTON IA
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV WM. MILLER CUTE BABY IN DRESS BURLINGTON IOWA
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV TWINING & TWIFORD LADY IN DRESS BURLINGTON IOWA
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV THEO. OWENS GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS BURLINGTON IA
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV S. W. TRUESDELL GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS KENOSHA WIS.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV C.E. LIBBEY LADY IN DRESS DOVER NH
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV FRANK RUSSEL CUTE BABY IN DRESS LAWRENCE MASS.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV S. HOWES LADY & GIRL IN DRESSES BOSTON
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV ROBINSON BROS HANDSOME MAN SUIT HAVERHILL MASS.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV COLLINS' LADY IN DRESS WESTFIELD MASS.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV M.H. LUFKIN HANDSOME MAN IN SUIT LAWRENCE MASS.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV HOWLAND LADY IN DRESS CINCINNATI OHIO
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV JAS. G. PITTENGER LADY IN DRESS WASHINGTON N.J.
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV F. L. LEROY LADY IN DRESS WARREN OHIO
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV M. GUSTINE GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS TROY NY
ANTIQUE CIRCA 1860S CDV C.A. SAYLOR HANDSOME MAN IN SUIT READING PENN.
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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