In the 18th century, a new medium began to emerge, one that captured images by recording light. Albumen prints used egg whites. Ambrotypes were imprinted on glass. Daguerreotypes utilized a process that involved a copper sheet and mercury vapor. All of these techniques eventually developed into photography as we know it today. With these very early photographs in mind, the Getty has chosen recent photographs that share their themes and compositional tropes. The paired images come under the categories of “Identity,” “Time,” “Spirit,” “Landscape,” and “Circulation,” and allow for intimate comparisons between the long ago and the new millennium. —Zack Hauptman