Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s BEAL HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT WORCESTER MASS.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1890s HEATH FIRST COURT JUSTICE HANDSOME MAN BERWICK MAINE
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s WILLIAM A. BEDIENT HANDSOME BEARDED MAN DANBURY CT.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN FANCY SUIT CIVIL WAR ERA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s HANDSOME OLDER MAN WITH MUSTACHE UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s S.S. JOHNSON HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT POLO ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s J.C. STONE HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT ST. JOSEPH MISSOURI
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1890s WHEELER HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT WHEATON ILLINOIS
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s J.W. BLACK OLD MAN WITH MUSTACHE NAMED BOSTON MASS.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s NICHOLSON MAN WITH MUSTACHE CRAWFORDSVILLE INDIANA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HANDSOME BEARDED MAN NAMED RICHARD STEPHENS NEWARK N.J.
ANTIQUE CDV 1872 HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT NAMED HOLYLAND BALTIMORE MARYLAND
ANTIQUE CDV 1867 J. COSS HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT SPRINGFIELD OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s DUNSHEE OLDER MAN BALDING NAMED HARRY R. DAVIES BOSTON MA.
ANTIQUE CDV 1870 LOCKE HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT NAMED ATHOL DEPOT MASS.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s R.H. DEWEY HANDSOME MAN HOLDING HAT PITTSFIELD MASS.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s C.F. RICHARDSON HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT WAKEFIELD MA.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s C.W. TALLMAN HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN SUIT BATAVIA NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT NAMED BROOLYN NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s ROBINSON & FLUKE HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN SUIT TOLEDO OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1890s ROSHON HANDSOME MAN IN WHITE SUIT NAMED LEBANON PA.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s PFEIFER HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE NAMED COLUMBUS OHIO
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1860s BROWN & OTTO HANDSOME MAN MUSTACHE SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1890s C. BROCKWAY HANDSOME MAN WITH MUSTACHE HILLSBORO N.H.
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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