Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s TOBIAS GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS ST. LOUIS MISSOURI
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s J.E. RICH GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CHARLES CITY IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s LANCASTER GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CEDAR FALLS IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s GEO. K. GILCHRIST OLDER LADY IN DRESS CEDAR FALLS IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s WEIDER CUTE ROMANTIC COUPLE HUSBAND & WIFE BURLINGTON IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s J. BATTERSBY GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CHICAGO ILL.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s G.W. BARNES OLDER LADY IN DRESS ROCKFORD ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s WALL & DODSON YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CARLINVILLE ILL.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s W.H. JENNINGS GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS NORWICH CT.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s E. DUNSHEE GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS BOSTON MASS.
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s S.T. WIGGINS GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CEDAR RAPIDS IOWA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s McKENDREE COLLEGE GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY LEBANON ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s COLES GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS PEORIA ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s MELANDER GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CHICAGO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s WOUNDED AMPUTEE CIVIL WAR VETERANS HOLDING AMERICAN FLAG
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HILL & BENSON GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS TROY NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s O.B. DeMORAT GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS PHILADELPHIA PA.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s J.R. BLACK GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS PHILADELPHIA PA.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s J. OMAN YOUNG MOTHER IN DRESS HOLDING BABY NEWARK OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s ANDREW SIMS GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS CAMDEN NJ
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s E.R. WESTON OLD LADY IN FANCY DRESS BANGOR MAINE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s H. TRIPP YOUNG LADY IN DRESS BIG RAPIDS MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s STAR GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s A.E. WITHINGTON GORGEOUS YOUNG LADY IN DRESS DANIELSON CT.
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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