This article recognizes the monumental change in the history of color imaging from chemical photographic processes to the digital print era. Major color processes should be documented and understood as they disappear from the market. At present we also mark a subtle alteration in outlook toward these early color works, from beacons of the contemporary, the current, to faded or discolored reminders of the era when they made their initial impact. With diminished vividness and often a shift in color balance, they have become nostalgic representations of a bygone era – something their creators, many of them living and still active, never intended for their work. This article briefly traces the history of color photography, from the 19th century theorists, through the development of panchromatic emulsions, and the introduction and popularity of the major processes. Chromogenic processes are emphasized as the most popular form of color photography throughout the 20th century.