Wait...when exactly were those photos taken?

Bet you've never heard of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii. So I would also wager that you have never seen the photographs he took of Russia from 1909 to 1915. Therefore, it seems safe for me to assume that you didn't know that, way back in 1909, Sergei was taking photos in COLOR!!!

Wait a second. That's more than 100 years ago! People were taking color photographs 100 years ago? I had no idea!

I thought about why this seems so strange to me. I have come to this conclusion:
When I look at my old family photographs, it is easy to notice that Grandpa bought a color camera sometime in the early 60s. Before that, all our photos are in black-and-white. Photos of Grandpa as a child - black-and-white. Photos of Grandpa with his grandpa - black-and-white. All the people in these B&W photos can only be seen in these B&W photos now. They are so old, that the occupants of these fragile frames are no longer alive. Those in the color photographs are still alive, although their color might be fading. So it seems strange to me to see color photographs of people who lived in a generation that has long since disappeared.

So, yeah. 100-year-old color photographs. Strangely enough, it's blowing my mind. You can find more of these photos here. Enjoy!