The two editors of the book Mondes Photographiques, histoires des débuts (Photographic worlds, stories of the beginning), published to coincide with the exhibition “Photographs, An Early Album of the World (1842-1911)”, Anabelle Lacour and Christine Barthe, discuss with art historian Diva Gujral. Is it possible to write a global history of photography? How can we tell the story of experiences with the medium in different parts of the world? The speakers look back at the genesis of this project and its global connections, enabling us to redraw the paths of often little-known local photographers - such as Hurrychund Chintamon and Narayan Dajee in Bombay - and to look at the transcontinental circulation of images and albums, highlighting the extraordinary diversity of practices and uses of photography in the 19th century across the globe.