Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s BALDWIN HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s J.R. TEWKSBURY HANDSOME BEARDED MAN FORT MADISON IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s G.C. CRAMER HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT ST. LOUIS MISSOURI
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s OUTLEY & BELL HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT ST. LOUIS MO.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s COPELIN HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s COPELIN & SON CUTE LITTLE GIRL HOLDING BABY CHICAGO ILL.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s C.F. ADAMS HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT SAINT LOUIS MO.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s J. GOULD HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT WEST LIBERTY IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s SAMSON HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE PORTLAND MAINE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s JOHN DAILY GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS LEBANON PA.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s MANCHESTER BROS YOUNG LADY WITH CURLY HAIR PROVIDENCE RI
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s CRUM & SHARP GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS WATKINS NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s H.W. BRAY GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS PANA ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s SAWTELLE HANDSOME MAN WEARING GLASSES BIDDEFORD MAINE
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s JOHN F. SINGHI HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT ROCKLAND MAINE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s C.W. HEARN OLDER BEARDED MAN IN SUIT PORTLAND MAINE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s C.W. CURTISS HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE LEWISTON MAINE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s BALDING MAN WITH MUSTACHE LOQUIST PEORIA ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s H.O. REED HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE BRUNSWICK MAINE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s J.C. PARKER HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT PEKIN ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s COPELIN HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s GURRAD GORGEOUS LADY IN FANCY CLOTHING LA SALLE ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s E.J. COVEY HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE STANBERRY MISSOURI
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s L.R. THAYER HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT WYANET 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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