Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S RIDER GORGEOUS LADY NECKLACE CHRISTIAN CHICAGO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860S C.A. AYRES HUSBAND WIFE ROMANTIC COUPLE BLOOMINGTON ILL.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860S XANDER HUSBAND WIFE FANCY DRESS PEORIA ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S MCKENNEY GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS WILLIMANTIC CONNECTICUT
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860S E.H. PERRY GORGEOUS LADY FANCY DRESS KALAMAZOO MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S L. BISSELL GORGEOUS LADY FANCY DRESS MILFORD MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860S C.T. CORNWELL OLD LADY IN DRESS COLDWATER MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S LUTGE'S GORGEOUS LADY HAIR BOW DETROIT MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S M.W. MEALEY GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS LAWRENCE MASS.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S GEO. K. GILCHRI LADY FANCY DRESS CEDAR FALLS IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S SHOWMAN GORGEOUS LADY IN FANCY DRESS PORTLAND MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S J.C. CHAPMAN GORGEOUS LADY FANCY DRESS MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S A.A. UDELL COUPLE IN DRESS THREE RIVERS MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S S.M. ADAMS GORGEOUS LADY FANCY DRESS ELGIN ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S J. HOFSTRUM YOUNG LADY BOW BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S A.W. ANDERSON YOUNG GORGEOUS LADY HAVERHILL MASS.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S TEEPLE'S LADY IN DRESS WOOSTER OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S D.H. CROSS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS DES MOINES IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S WHEELEY GORGEOUS LADY IN DRESS OTTAWA ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S REYNOLDS & CO HANDSOME MAN SUIT HARLAN IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860S GORGEOUS LADY M.C. DE SEVIGNE ALBUM FILLER UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860S BOSSEUT BEARDED MAN ALBUM FILLER UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870S CHARLES TABER CUTE GIRL DOLL JESTER NEW BEDFORD MASS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880S P.A.S. YOUNG MUSTACHED MAN IN SUIT HARLAN IOWA
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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