Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s GINTER CHRISTIAN LADY IN STRIPED DRESS LEWISBURG PA.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s G.N. GRANNISS HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT WATERBURY CT.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT HARTFORD CONNETICUIT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s J. WEEKES HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT NORWICH CONN.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT PECK NEW HAVEN CONNETICUIT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s WM. McHENRY HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT FREEPORT ILL.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s CLENDENON & NICHOLS HANDSOME BEARDED MAN JACKSONVILLE ILL.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s MASTERS 2C CIVIL WAR TAX STAMP PLAYING CARDS ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s ELY CUTE CHILDREN WITH FANCY DOLL STROLLER DETAILED
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s L.M. BAKER GORGEOUS YOUNG LADIES GAY INTEREST COLUMBUS OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s CHAS. PEALS CUTE CHILD WITH THEIR DOG MOLINE ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s CUTE BABY GIRL IN A FANCY STROLLER DETAILED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s KNICKERBOCKER WILD WEST COWBOY COUNCIL BLUFFS IOWA
CDV CIRCA 1860s THREE YOUNG JAPANESE WOMEN IN TRADITIONAL CLOTHING TOKYO JAPAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s A.J. HAGNELL LADIES IRONING CLOTHING WERNAMO GERMANY
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s CLIFFORD HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s J.T. McCORMICK HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT LOGAN OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s BILLINGS HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT LEBANON N.H.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s H.B. HULL HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT PARKERSBURG W. VA.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s TOMBARGER HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE LANCASTER OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s EDW. W. JOHNSON HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT NASHUA N.H.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s W.F. ALLEN HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT EAST JAFFREY N.H.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s FLOYD & POWER MOTHER AND BABY MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s J.D. DUNN GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS MEADVILLE PA.
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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