Horizons

Two concurrent exhibitions at the Getty Center also explore the relationship of photography to landscape, but with the historical context that “Flight Patterns” lacks. “Voyages and Visions: Early Photographs From the Wilson Family Collection” presents an extensive assortment of travel photographs made before 1860 by European photographers, who generally saw themselves as amateur archaeologists. Shot in North Africa, Asia, India, Russia, obscure corners of Europe and elsewhere, the photographs exemplify both the wanderlust of the 19th-century European bourgeoisie and the role of the camera — at the time a novel contraption whose ultimate usefulness was still relatively undetermined — in the service of that wanderlust. The photographs are fascinating as historical documents, because they represent the Western world’s first photographic record of life beyond its own borders, albeit one that was constructed very much in European terms. For the contemporary viewer, they offer a twofold glimpse into history: They provide a physical description of the non-Western world in the 19th century while also illuminating Europe’s colonialist mindset by literally embodying its viewpoint. And as relics of history — actual physical objects that followed these photographers on the backs of mules, on horse-drawn carriages and on ships — they’re eerily resonant.

The second exhibition, “Mexico: From Empire to Revolution,” features a variety of photographic objects — cartes de visite, commemorative albums, post cards and documentary photographs drawn from the collections of the Getty Research Institute — relating to the invasion of Mexico by France in 1861. The invasion was instigated by Napoléon III, who appointed the Archduke Maximilian as emperor of Mexico before promptly withdrawing his support and leaving the unfortunate Maximilian to a doomed defense against the forces of displaced President Benito Juárez. The exhibition includes documentation of this short-lived empire by court photographer François Aubert — including a chilling photograph of Maximilian’s bullet-riddled execution shirt — as well as works by other French photographers of the time documenting different aspects of the Mexican landscape, particularly its pre-Hispanic ruins. It’s an intriguing moment in history and an engrossing collection of artifacts, fortified by the sort of thorough but accessible historical information that characterizes the Research Institute’s exhibitions. If this collection is any indication, it’s worth looking out for its second half — scheduled to open in late February — which will explore Mexico’s emergence as a modern, industrialized nation in the 50 years following Maximilian’s defeat.

VOYAGES AND VISIONS: Early Photographs From the Wilson Family Collection | At the GETTY CENTER | Through February 18

MEXICO: From Empire to Revolution At the GETTY CENTER | Through January 21