Two examples of carte de visite photographs taken during the American Civil War. Each soldier shown here served with the 77th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

The carte de visite (CdV) is a type of photograph popular from the 1860s to the 1880s. The carte de visite developed from the practice of using visiting cards as a means of communication. Usually an albumen print, the carte de visite is a photograph 2.125 x 3.5 inches mounted on a card 2.5 x 4 inches. The cartes were placed in carte albums which were the forerunners of photo albums. The American Civil War was fought in North America from 1861 until 1865 between the United States of America – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... Events and trends Italian unification under King Victor Emmanuel II. Wars for expansion and national unity continue until the incorporation of the Papal States (March 17, 1861 - September 20, 1870). ... // Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... Visiting card of Johann van Beethoven, Brother of Ludwig van Beethoven Visiting cards first appeared in China in the 15th century, and in Europe in the 17th century. ... The albumen print, invented in 1850 by Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard, was the first commercially exploitable method of producing a print on a paper base from a negative. ...

The carte-de-visite was popularized by Parisian photographer Andre Disdéri who patented a method of taking several photographs on a single plate in 1854. Copies of cartes-de-visite of royal or famous figures were sold to the public at large. The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...