A photo exhibit hosted by Bluffton University will showcase the work of Will A. Triplett and reveal life in Bluffton as captured in photographs during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Will A. Triplett was Bluffton's photographer for over 50 years. In 1881 he migrated to Bluffton, where he married Mabel Spooner and raised three sons, Morris, Ray, and Cleon. In the days before film cameras, Triplett's photographic work was done with large glass plates and flash powder, items that can be seen at the exhibit. To put this in context, visitors can also learn about the history of photography, experience a replica of the earliest image maker, the camera obsura, and view the earliest digital camera, on loan from Xerox Corporation.

The exhibit will include more than 100 items, including photographic prints from the collections of Dick Boehr, Fred Steiner, and Tish Triplett, related artifacts, and 30 years of 2nd and 3rd grade class photos collected by John Murray. Visitors can also to help name unidentified people in some of the photos.

Early Bluffton Photographs will be on display from June 12 to July 2 in the Grace Albrecht Gallery, Sauder Visual Arts Center at Bluffton University. Exhibit hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. An opening reception will be held on June 12 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.