IOWA CITY - Shutterbugs and others with an eye on photography are in for a treat.

Mary Bennett of the State Historical Society of Iowa will discuss the "History of Photography in Iowa" at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, in the Senate Chambers at the Old Capitol in Iowa City. The discussion is free and open to the public.

In her lecture, Bennett will explore the use of photography as historical evidence and how images alter perceptions and perspectives. By tracing the history of Iowa’s photographers, she will showcase 19th- and 20th-century examples from the collections at the State Historical Society of Iowa.

"Photographs are valuable cultural artifacts, capable of adding a new dimension to history or a more balanced interpretation as images have the power to re-create the past in visual terms and convey the human spirit behind these stories," she said.

Bennett received a bachelor's degree in 1976 and a master's degree in 1985 from the University of Iowa, where she was recently honored as a College of Liberal Arts Alumni Fellow. Her presentation is part of her associated residency in the University of Iowa's Department of History. She is a contributor to the current Old Capitol Museum exhibit, "Faces of Iowa Through the Early Lens," authored "An Iowa Album: A Photographic History, 1860-1920" and co-authored "Iowa Stereographs: Three-Dimensional Visions of the Past."

The lecture is presented by the Old Capitol Museum in conjunction with the University of Iowa Department of History and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The University of Iowa invites all people, including those with disabilities, to attend its events; accordingly, if anyone requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, he or she should contact the Old Capitol Museum in advance at (319) 335-0546.