Uses of Cartes de Visite during the Civil War As Holmes suggested, they were most frequently exchanged by family and friends as a means of cementing social bonds and remembering absent loved ones. It became common to collect not only ones friends and family but also portraits of famous men and women.

When were carte de visite popular?

Carte-de-visite, originally, a calling card, especially one with a photographic portrait mounted on it. Immensely popular in the mid-19th century, the carte-de-visite was touted by the Parisian portrait photographer André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, who patented the method in 1854.

What was the purpose of carte de visite?

Uses of Cartes de Visite during the Civil War CDVs were used for a variety of purposes throughout the Civil War. As Holmes suggested, they were most frequently exchanged by family and friends as a means of cementing social bonds and remembering absent loved ones.