Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
C. 1880s CDV YOUNG MATELOTES COURGUINOISES WEARING SOLEIL BOULOGNE FRANCE
CIRCA 1880s 2 CDVS 5 ADULTS IN WOODEN STRUCTURE READING, SMOKING, SEWING FRANCE
CIRCA 1880s CDV 5 ADULTS SITTING OUTSIDE READING, SMOKING, SEWING, UNMARKED
CIRCA 1890s CDV BIG FAMILY GROUP PHOTO OUTSIDE UNMARKED
C. 1890s CDV YOUNG LADY MATELOTES COURGUINOISES WEARING SOLEIL BOULOGNE FRANCE
CIRCA 1860s CDV MEN SMOKING, DRINKING, PLAYING CARDS AT TABLE UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1880s HANDSOME AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN WITH MUSTACHE WASHINGTON D.C.
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1870s LE JEUNE QUEEN ALEXANDRA OF DENMARK GORGEOUS FRANCE
CIRCA 1870s CDV BEARDED MAN IN SUIT SITTING AT DESK WRITTTING DETAILED UNMARKED
CIRCA 1870s CDV FRENCH CAVALRY SOLDIER & FREIND ON HORSES STUNNING DETAIL
CDV CIRCA 1860s CIVIL WAR GENERAL JAMES B. McPHERSON KILLED AT BATTLE OF ATLANTA
CIRCA 1860s CDV C.H. TOWNSEND YOUNG CHRISTIAN LADY WILLIMANTIE CONNETICUIT
ANTIQUE CDV LOT OF 46 FRENCH SOLDIERS IN UNIFORM VARYING RANKS RARE!
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s HANDSOME STRIKING BEARDED MAN IN TOPHAT NAMES ON BACK
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1860s CRAZY LOOKIN MAN WITH NECKBEARD HAND-TINTED UNMARKED
ANTIQUE CDV CIRCA 1880s GERH. GESELL TURKISH MAN IN CULTURAL CLOTHING ALMA WIS.
CIRCA 1880s CDV F.J. JACOBSEN OUTDOORSMAN EXPLORER WITH CANTEEN TELESCOPIC CANE
CIRCA 1870s CDV SOLEY DISGRUNTLED MAN IN SUIT CRAZY LOOKING GLOUCESTER ENGLAND
CIRCA 1890s CDV TEENAGE BOY IN SUIT NAMED FOSTER FELLMAN DANIEL NYBLIN
CIRCA 1880s CDV OLD LADY WOMEN UNMARKED
CIRCA 1880s CDV YOUNG JAMES N FORD W.V. RANGER SYRACUSE NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s GURNEY GORGEOUS YOUNG THEATER ACTRESS JONE BURKE NEW YORK
ANTIQUE CDV C. 1870s YOUNG THEATER ACTRESS MILLIE COOK SARONY BROADWAY NEW YORK
CDV CIRCA 1880s WARREN KATE C. CLAYTON PLAYING WHEN BROOKLYN THEATER BURNED DOWN
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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