Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HANDSOME YOUNG MAN PICKING FLOWERS CIVIL WAR ERA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s RADBRUCH HANDSOME YOUNG BOY IN WINDOWSILL MILWAUKEE WIS.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s BENDANN OLD LADY IN DRESS AND BONNET READING BOOK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s S.C. LANDON CUTE YOUNG GIRL HIDDEN MOTHER NEW MILFORD CT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s J.W. BLACK GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY READING BOOK BOSTON MASS.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s JOHN THADEUS DELANE EDITOR OF THE TIMES LONDON JOURNALISM
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s FRIBOURG SWITZERLAND CITY LANDSCAPE VIEW DETAILED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s COLISEUM FOR THE NATIONAL PEACE JUBILEE BOSTON MA.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s WM. CASTLE AS ENGLISH TENOR ACTOR CHICAGO ILL. FASSETT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s MADAME RISTORI AS QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATER ACTRESS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s CHARLES FECHTER AS HAMLET ANGLO-FRENCH ACTOR CHICAGO ILL
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s CARLOTTA PATTI ITALIAN OPERATIC SOPRANO PERFORMER TINTED
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s REVEREND STOPFORD A. BROOKE IRISH CHURCHMAN ROYAL CHAPLAIN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s THOMAS MILNER GIBSON PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HENRY PALMERSTON, GLADSTONE, RUSSEL, BRITISH POLITICANS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s NAPOLEON III FIRST PRESIDENT OF FRANCE THE LAST EMPEROR
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s BEARDED MAN 9TH DUKE ST. FRANCISS? LONDON ENGLAND
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s ELIOTT & FRY CATHOLIC REVEREND PRIEST LONDON ENGLAND
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s BISHOP JOHN JACKSON BRITISH DIVINE CHURCH OF ENGLAND
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s CHARLES KINGSLEY BROAD CHURCH PRIEST CAMBRIDGE PROFFESOR
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s DR. SAMUEL SEBASTIAN WESLEY ENGLISH ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
CDV CIRCA 1860s SAMUEL WILBERFORCE "SOAPY SAM" ENGLISH BISHOP OPPOSED DARWIN
CDV CIRCA 1860s SIDNEY GODOLPHIN OSBURNE ENGLISH CLERIC, PHILANTHROPIST, WRITER
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s PARTRIDGE CUTE YOUNG GIRL READING BOOK BRIDGEPORT CONN.
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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