A carte de visite can usually be dated to within two years through an understanding of its features. Gallery operators replenished their supply of card stock about every six months and card manufacturers encouraged this demand by brining out a new line of decorative cards each year.

How do you know if you are a carte-de-visite?

Use these clues to identify a carte de visiteSize. Cartes were small paper prints—about 3.5 x 2 inches pasted onto standard sized cardboard mounts, about 4 x 2.5 inches. Mount. If you have several examples of cartes you can compare, the relative thickness of the cardboard mount can indicate a rough date. Shape.27 Jun 2013