THE earliest extant photographs of China were taken by Jules Itier, a Frenchman who traveled to China in the 1840s as part of a diplomatic mission sent by King Louis-Philippe.

Itier passed through Macao in 1844, and the subjects of some of his photographs — like the ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral, once the largest Catholic cathedral in Asia — look little changed today. But most of his photographs tell the story of a very different Macao, the one that existed before land reclamation and rapid urbanization.

His work is a highlight of an exhibit called “A Journey Through Light and Shadow — The Invention of Photography and the Earliest Photographs of Macao, China,” which will run until Aug. 23 at the Museum of Macau.

Along with 180 photos of Macao, Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland taken between 1844 and the early part of the 20th century, the exhibit displays photographic antiques that were used in the production of some of these early photos.