Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s E.L. BRANDS GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CHICAGO ILL.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s TYLER BUGBEE GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS WAUKESHA WIS.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s WASHBURN OLD LADY IN BONNET AND DRESS NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s E.L. GOSS GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN FANCY DRESS WALTHAM MA.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s FRANK BISHOP GORGEOUS LADY IN FANCY DRESS MILAWUKEE WIS.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s A.G. BORTON HANDSOME MAN WEARING TOPHAT INDEPENDENCE IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE PLAYWRIGHT AND POET ALBUM FILLER
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s H. ROLAND GORGEOUS CHRISTIAN LADY N DRESS LA SALLE ILL.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s SWEM GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN FANCY DRESS MACON MISSOURI
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s A.W. ADAMS OLD 1700s LADY FANCY HAIR DECORAH IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1890s GARRETTS HANDSOME OLDER MAN IN SUIT PHILADELPHIA PA.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s STEPHENSON GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS YPSILANTI MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s GEO. EWING HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT WALKERTON INDIANA
CDV CIRCA 1860s McINTYRE GORGEOUS LADY WEARING HAT BROCKVILLE ONTARIO CANADA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s COWAN CUTE GIRL IN DRESS ORNATE MASQUE NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s H.R. CORNELL HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT LIGONIER INDIANA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s S. SWAINE GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY ORNATE MASQUE ROCHESTER NH
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s NICOULIN CUTE BABY IN "DARLING" BIB ALGONA IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s C.A. MEREDITH GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS GLASGOW MO.
ANTIQUE CDV 1879 J.W. McLELLAN GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS VALPARAISO INDIANA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s CHAS. HOMAN OLD LADY IN DRESS HOLDING BOOK NEW HAVEN CT.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s JOHN H. OLESON LADY IN DRESS MINNEAPOLIS MINNEAPOLIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s L.H. MANDEVILLE GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY VALPARAISO INDIANA
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s WM. M. SCOTT FAMILY OF THREE HANDSOME MAN LA PORTE INDIANA
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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