Figure 1.--The inexpensive CDV caused an explosive growth in photography. This apprehensive little boy clearly is having his first portrait taken. Early American CDVs have several destinguishing characteristics. There are pointed corners and ruling for a frame effect. Both are features of 1860s cards. The twin line ruling frames with a thicker outer line fist appeared in 1864. The most characteristic feature of American 1860s CDVs is the void or blank wall backdrop. The Pennsylvania boy here is unidentified, but the portrait is dated, August 10, 1865. There is a green revenue stamp on the back. The studio information at the bottom is fairly rare on American CDVs and using three lines very rare. The boy wears a cut-away jacket, a popular style in the 1860s. Notice that the blouse shirt this Pennylvania boy is wearing does not seem to have front buttons. Also notice the ermroidery on his pants.

The albumen process and the carte de visite (CDV) was developed in France (1850s). André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri patented the CDV (1854) although Louis Dodero seems to hve developed it. Disdéri had also invented a method of taking eight separate negatives on a single plate, which reduced production costs. Albumen prints had a number of advantages over the well-established Daguerreotype, but for some reason were not an immediate success. And we do not see Americans adopting the CDV. This changed very rapidly when Disdéri published Emperor Napoleon III's photos in a CDV pormat. This was an immediate success in France where the Emperor was a popular figure. And suddenly we begin to see CDVs in other countries as well. It was not that the Emperor was popular outside France, but the possibilities of the CDV became apprent because of developments in France. The process was at the time called 'cardomania'. The albumen print and negative process in the form of the CDV crossed the Atlantic. And quickly began replacing the Dag and Ambro. At the time the United States already had a larger photographic industry than Europe. When the Civil War broke out (1861), we still see mostly cased Dags and Ambros. The conversion process was very rapid. By the end of the War (1865) we see modstly CDVs. CDVs were made the same size as a visiting card and were used as visiting cards. Unlike Dags and Ambros, they were not only inexpensive, but as a negative was created, multiple copies could be orderd to share with family and friends. And they could be added to scrap books. People not only wanted portraits of themselves and family, but of famous persons. Albums were developed for CDVs which is another reaon why the size is so standard. These albums along became a fixture in Victorian parlors. hile the CDV was a popular format in Europe througout the late-19th century, the popularity was a much shorter period in America. The larger cabinet card, also using albumen prints, appeared (1866). It rapidly replaced the CDV in America. The CDV dis not disappear, but the cabinedt card became the standard format. We continue to see cabinet cards in the early-20th century, albeit with changed mount styles. American CDVs after thge turn-of-the-century are rare.

Invention

The albumen process and the carte de visite (CDV) was developed in France (1850s). André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri patented the CDV (1854) although Louis Dodero seems to hve developed it. Disdéri had also invented a method of taking eight separate negatives on a single plate, which reduced production costs. We do not, however see many CDVs in the 1850s, either in Europe or the United States.

Chronology

Albumen prints had a number of advantages over the well-established Daguerreotype and the new collodion process (Ambros and Tintypes), but for some reason were not an immediate success. We are not sure why. And we do not see Americans adopting the CDV in the 1850s. This changed very rapidly when Disdéri published Emperor Napoleon III's photos in a CDV pormat. This was an immediate success in France where the Emperor was a popular figure. And suddenly we begin to see CDVs in other countries as well. It was not that the Emperor was popular outside France, but the possibilities of the CDV became apprent because of developments in France. The process was at the time called 'cardomania'. The albumen print and negative process in the form of the CDV crossed the Atlantic. And quickly began replacing the Dag and Ambro. At the time the United States already had a larger photographic industry than Europe. When the Civil War broke out (1861), we still see mostly cased Dags and Ambros. The conversion process was, however, very rapid. By the end of the War (1865) we see mostly CDVs. While the CDV was a popular format in Europe througout the late-19th century, the popularity was a much shorter period in America. The larger cabinet card, also using albumen prints, appeared (1866). It rapidly replaced the CDV in America. The CDV did not disappear, but the cabinet card became the standard format. We continue to see cabinet cards throughout the late-19th century and even a few into the early-20th century, albeit with changed mount styles. American CDVs after the turn-of-the-century are rare.

Utility

CDVs were made the same size as a visiting card and were used as visiting cards which explains the name. Unlike Dags and Ambros, they were not only inexpensive, but as a negative was created, mulltiple copies could be orderd to share with family and friends. And they could be added to scrap books. And quickly purpose-made albums appeared for CDVs. People not only wanted portraits of themselves and family, but of famous persons. Albums were developed for CDVs which is another reaon why the size is so standard. These albums along became a fixture in Victorian parlors.

Poses and Background

Early CDVs aew very destinctive. Some are posed like Dags and Ambros with the subject seated, often near a draprty covered table. Most commonly we have an individual standing erect like on a stage. The background is often blank and drapery-like stage cutains aew used. Until the late-1860s this persisted, the backgrounds either were featureless void or had only a chair, small table, or other object which helped to steady the subject because of slow emulsion speeds. This is why the same basis pose were used for Dags and Anbros. Cabinet cards when they appeared have more elanorate settings with backgrounds created by backdrops. We begin to see the same on CDVs, bit CDVs decline as cabint cards become the principal American portrait format. We see some CDVs with just faces or busts beginning in the 1870s. This inclided oval formats. We also see faces and busts in the 1880s and 90s, but they are relatively small in number.

Cards

Several charcteristics of a CDV can be dated, including the size, corners and thickness. Thev CDV has a very specific size, both in America nd other countries. It was 2 3/8" x 4 1/4". Therevare few exceptions, nostly early CDVs when photographer may have cut his own card stock. But generally CDVs were very close in size, emulating calling cards. And with the appearance of slotted CDV albums, the cards had to be a standard sized to fit into the slots. The corners of CDV cards are helpful in dating CDVs. The first CDVs had pounted corners. We have not yet, however, worked up a precise chronology. This is somewhat complicated by the fact that wear can cause pinted corner CDVs to appear as if they have rounded corners. Rounded corners appear to have become standard from a very early point. The first CDVs seem to have had sharp pinted corners. We have found cards with rounded corners ascearly as 1864. This does not mean that rounded coners immeiately replaced the pointed corners. We still see sharp coerners very commonly in the 1860s, but by the early 70s, virually all Ameican CDVs had rounded corners. This varied from country to country. We see both pointed and rounded corners in England, for example, during the 1870s. Most American pointed corner CDVs date to the 1860s. We are gradyallu building a detailed chronology.so we can more precisly date the the corner range. Anothr feature of the CDV cards that can be dated is the hickness of the card stock. But this is less useful for HBC as we are commonly working with CDV images rather than the actual physical CDV.

Mounts

Mounts have several features, primarily line border frames and the name of the studio. The frame borders can be helpful in dating the image, but this is complicated and by no means definitive. There is a degree of consistncy because only a few comapnies made the mounts that studios purchased. What we are not yet sure about is if studios offered clients different mount styles. The earliest American CDVs had no frame borders. Starting about 1862, card companies began using a single thin line, sometimes two lines to delineate the picture area. This was readily accepted and in 1864 we begin to see two lines, a thin inner one and a thicker outer line. The card here is a good example (figure 1). Then in the 1870s we begin to see destinctly thicker lines. We see the lines disappearng by the end of the decade. The general rule is that the thinner the lines, the earlier the CDV. CDVs may have a studio line at the bottom with both the studio name and city printed out. Front bottom studio lines on CDVs were common in Europe. We see a lot of English, French, German, and Scottish cards done like this, but these front studio lines were for what ever reason were much less prevalent in America. More comminly studio information appeared on the back. Some CDVs in the 1880s and 90s were done like minature cabinet cards, but in America they wre done in far fewer numbers than cabinet cards. We are just beginning to assess archived images to delineate these age trends.

Revenue Stamps (1864-66)

We are constantly looking for any indicators from specific countries which may help provide clues on dates. So far we have only found one such indicator. There is one useful American indicator, albeit for only a short period. The U.S. Federal Government to help finance the Civil War approved a 3 cents tax on all photographs sold in the United States from September 1, 1864 to August 1, 1866. This is a period at the end of the War and a little over a year after the War. Because money was involved, the presence of these stamps is definitive confirmation that the stamp was used during this 2-year period. Photographers had to charge for the revenue stamp. This was only a short period, but it does help date the portraits with these stamps. The one thing we do not know is how extensively photographrs complied. Once the stamp was on there we assume that it would stay well afixed or leave a mark where it was removed. So we have a very good indicator for about a 2-year period in the mid-1860s in the northern states and areas controlled by Federal forces. The photographer was susposed to cancel the stamp by initialing it. Some may even have dates.

Created: 8:10 AM 11/23/2012
Last updated: 7:05 PM 4/21/2022