Carte de Visites

 
Carte de visites are inexpensive paper visiting card photos used not only for personal, social and business visits, but also for the keepsake likenesses of famous celebrities, speakers, and accomplished figures.
Lovely CDV Photo of Man & Wife


Lovely CDV Photo of Man & Wife

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Time Left: 15m
Civil War cdv HUGE STRIPED CRINOLINE DRESS Lace Shawl


Civil War cdv  HUGE STRIPED CRINOLINE DRESS Lace Shawl

Buy It Now: $88.83
Time Left: 1h 50m
RARE CDV BY F. BONFILS RUINS AT BAALBEK, LEB. 1870'S


RARE CDV BY F. BONFILS  RUINS AT BAALBEK,  LEB.  1870'S

Price: $19.99
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Time Left: 2h
RARE CDV BY W. HAMMERSCHMIDT PORTRAIT OF WOMAN 1860'S


RARE CDV BY W. HAMMERSCHMIDT PORTRAIT OF WOMAN  1860'S

Price: $29.99
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RARE CDV BY W. HAMMERSCHMIDT OMAR MOSQUE JERUSALEM


RARE CDV BY W. HAMMERSCHMIDT OMAR MOSQUE JERUSALEM

Price: $29.99
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RARE CDV BY W. HAMMERSCHMIDT PORTRAIT OF VENDOR 1860'S


RARE CDV BY W. HAMMERSCHMIDT PORTRAIT OF VENDOR  1860'S

Price: $29.99
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RARE CDV BY F. BONFILS RUINS AT BAALBEK, LEB. 1870'S


RARE CDV BY F. BONFILS  RUINS AT BAALBEK,  LEB.  1870'S

Price: $19.99
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Time Left: 2h
CDV OF COM. NUTT AND LADY, MIDGETS, Autographed 1870's


CDV OF COM. NUTT AND LADY,  MIDGETS,  Autographed 1870's

Price: $24.99
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Time Left: 2h
RARE CDV BY W. HAMMERSCHMIDT THE JORDAN RIVER 1860'S


RARE CDV BY W. HAMMERSCHMIDT THE JORDAN RIVER 1860'S

Price: $29.99
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Time Left: 2h
RARE CDV BY W. HAMMERSCHMIDT PORTRAIT OF ARAB 1860'S


RARE CDV BY W. HAMMERSCHMIDT PORTRAIT OF ARAB  1860'S

Price: $29.99
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Time Left: 2h
RARE CDV BY F. BONFILS RUINS AT BAALBEK, LEB. 1870'S


RARE CDV BY F. BONFILS  RUINS AT BAALBEK,  LEB.  1870'S

Price: $19.99
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Time Left: 2h
RARE CDV BY F. BONFILS MOSQUE DAMASCUS? 1870'S


RARE CDV BY F. BONFILS  MOSQUE DAMASCUS?  1870'S

Price: $19.99
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Time Left: 2h
BEAUTIFUL 2 BABY ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW149


BEAUTIFUL 2 BABY ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW149

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Time Left: 2h 29m
BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW138


BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW138

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Time Left: 2h 29m
BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW139


BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW139

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Time Left: 2h 29m
BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW142


BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW142

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Time Left: 2h 29m
BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW143


BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW143

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Time Left: 2h 29m
BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW144


BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW144

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Time Left: 2h 29m
BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW145


BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW145

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Time Left: 2h 29m
BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW146


BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW146

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Time Left: 2h 29m
BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW147


BEAUTIFUL LOT 3 ANTIQUE GERMAN CDV PHOTO IMAGES TW147

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Time Left: 2h 29m
CDV c 1870 SCENE of the UXBRIDGE TRAGEDY by T.P. Avery


CDV c 1870 SCENE of the UXBRIDGE TRAGEDY  by T.P. Avery

Price: $19.99 (0 Bids)
Time Left: 3h 9m
Carte de Visite Photo Victorian Woman Cornwall Ontario


Carte de Visite Photo Victorian Woman Cornwall Ontario

Buy It Now: $5.00
Time Left: 3h 25m
Carte de Visite or CDV Ira D. Sankey 2 1 8 x 3 ½ inches


Carte de Visite or CDV Ira D. Sankey 2 1 8 x 3 ½ inches

Price: $7.50 (0 Bids)
Time Left: 3h 34m
CDV c 1875 Lady with Dog. Outdoor Scene. Terrier ?


CDV c 1875 Lady with Dog. Outdoor Scene. Terrier ?

Price: $9.99 (0 Bids)
Time Left: 3h 34m
Civil War cdv photo BIG SHINY SILK CRINOLINE DRESS Lady


Civil War cdv photo BIG SHINY SILK CRINOLINE DRESS Lady

Buy It Now: $39.99
Time Left: 3h 37m
CDV c 1875 Man with Dog.


CDV c 1875 Man with Dog.

Price: $9.99 (1 Bids)
Time Left: 3h 37m
CDV c 1875 Man in Uniform by Henry Stiles of London.


CDV c 1875 Man in Uniform by Henry Stiles of London.

Price: $9.99 (1 Bids)
Time Left: 3h 43m
1860-1865 CDV Portrait Photos Clothing Fashion & Styles


1860-1865 CDV Portrait Photos Clothing Fashion & Styles

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Time Left: 3h 45m
Armor in Warwick Castle, England, old cdv photograph


Armor in Warwick Castle,  England,  old cdv photograph

Buy It Now: $19.95
Time Left: 3h 52m
Carte de Visites, or CDVs, are thin paper prints, usually albumen prints (albumen is the clear liquid found in egg whites that binded the chemicals to the paper), that were mounted on thicker paper cards. French daguerreotypist André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri patented the carte de visite in 1854 and started to become popular around 1860. The mounting card measures from 2 1/2 inches to 4 inches and the CDV print measures 2 1/8 inches by 3 1/2 inches, but carelessly cut and trimmed cards can vary in size and have uneven alignment. Later carte de visites mounting cards became thicker around 1870 and again in 1880. Special multiplying cameras were used to take multiple CDV images in much the same way gem tintypes were taken. The majority were self portraits and portraits of celebrities, officials, clergymen, politicians and authors, but landscapes, family photographs, and favorite sites were taken as well. Carte de visite means “visiting card”, but they were not used like the Chinese visiting cards of the 15th century, which prospective visitors gave to their hosts as etiquette. The name and business location of the photographer is the imprint, or backmark, of the CDV and often autographed signatures are on the bottom of the front of the card.
 
Like tintypes, carte de visites became enormously popular as friends, love interests, relatives, or businessmen traded them amongst each other. They were light, cheap, and easy to mail to friends or relatives. What helped set off the CDV trend, aside from the untrue rumors that Napolean stopped with his troops en route to Italy to have a carte de visite taken, was that Queen Victoria took an interest in them and one firm paid a very hefty sum for exclusive photo rights of the Royal Family. CDV “cardomania” spread as prominent authors, politicians, and celebrities had their images mass produced. CDVs and CDV albums became common display pieces in homes and parlors. In England alone at least hundreds of millions of carte de visites were produced.
 
There are different ways to determine the dates of carte de visites. The earliest cards were the thinnest, typically .5 mm or less. From 1869 to 1887 they were typically between .5mm and .75mm. 1880 and after are between .75 mm to 1 mm. Pre 1870 CDVs had square corners, while later cards had rounded edges (not to be confused with worn edges). Also backgrounds in portraits tended to be much simpler in carte de visites before the late 1860’s, consisting of a chair or a table, while after 1870 fancy backdrops and elaborate props were used heavily.
 
By 1864, most families owned a CDV album. Cartes de visites’ popularity declined as the larger and more commercial cabinet cards came about in the 1870’s. Cabinet cards had elaborate logos and more descriptive business information of the photographers on the back. CDVs were still being published in limited numbers until as late as 1920. Some collectors and museums have vast collections of carte de visites and some very famous examples are at the Library of Congress.