Carte de Visite
Albumen-print portraits on small card mounts — the calling-card photo of the Civil War era.
Antique CDV J. Ward & Son Parker House Hotel Building Boston Massachusetts
Antique CDV J. Ward & Son Victorian City Hall Building Boston Massachusetts
Antique CDV J. Ward & Son Boston Harbor East Boston Ships Boston Massachusetts
Antique CDV George F. Pabst Three Young Handsome Men Travelers Chemnitz Germany
Antique CDV 1860s E. Cherry Pressed California Sea Moss Santa Barbara California
Antique CDV C.H. Williamson Bearded Civil War Soldier in Uniform Brooklyn NY
Antique CDV Handsome Bearded Civil War Soldier Military Uniform Tax Stamp
Antique CDV Almacen Young Firefighter in Uniform on Ladder Connecting Hose
Antique Framed CDV President Abraham Lincoln Civil War Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV Tucker Cute Young Girl Mammie Hanley With Doll Worcester MA
Antique CDV Fredricks & Co. Cute Cat Wearing Red Collar New York NY
Antique CDV Fredericks & Co Cute Cat Lying On Table New York NY
Antique CDV Civil War Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston New York NY
Antique CDV Zimmerman Cute Young Girl With Doll St Paul Minn. Hand-Tinted
Antique CDV Matthew Brady General Philip Sheridan Outdoors Civil War Portrait
Antique CDV Phillipine-American War Military Soldier 32nd US Volunteer Infantry
Antique CDV President Jefferson Davis Dress Satirical Civil War Evading Capture
Antique CDV Henszey President Abraham Lincoln Bearded Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Red Cross Nurse In Uniform Wearing Glasses Studio Portrait Unmarked
Antique CDV E. Anthony President Jefferson Davis Civil War Portrait New York NY
Antique CDV P. B. Smith Cute Young Boy With Crutches Injured Ithaca Michigan
Antique CDV President Andrew Johnson Portrait Reconstruction Impeached
Antique CDV Eugene Cummiskey Old Man Pope Pius Ix Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Antique CDV Marshall Ruttonjee Indian Nanny Holding White Baby Cuttriss India
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.
Have CDVs to sell?
We buy carte de visite singly or by the lot. Send a few photos and we'll have an offer back in 24–48 hours.
Get an offer →