ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- The current exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi provides an extraordinary glimpse on the Philippines’ early settlers – all captured and preserved through a series of old pictures.

The exhibit titled "Photographs 1842-1896: An Early Album of the World" displays more than 250 of the earliest images ever seen of Asia, Middle East, America and Europe.

A section features photographs of tribes and people from the Philippines taken by Pedro Picon, who is widely regarded as one of the first photographers to set foot in the country.

The exhibition, which will be running until July 13, explores bygone periods along with the people and cultures at the time.

Likewise, the exhibit illustrates how far photography has come since its development in the mid-1800s.

“This exhibition explores the role of photography in enabling the sharing of photographs from around the world, documenting peoples’ lives and environments,” said Manuel Rabaté, director of Louvre Abu Dhabi.

“Pioneering photographers played a key role in making other cultures visible and accessible to people back home, the same way our audiences record their daily experiences to share them with their family, friends and online communities,” he added.

Filipino Lawrence Ignacio, a creative director based in Abu Dhabi, had seen the exhibit and was impressed by what he saw.

“It’s fascinating to see how the world has changed when you look at the pictures and think of how people and places have evolved over the years,” he said.