One curious side-effect of photography is that we tend to think that the world suddenly became substantially more colorful in the 1960s, after years of being dull and drab. In fact, clothing styles have moved almost entirely in the opposite direction, with gaudier fabrics being replaced by the industrial uniformity of blue jeans and khakis. You can still see traces of the older aesthetic in photographs from developing nations that show more traditional dress - say, vibrant skirts and headwraps on West African women.
Some very early color photographs dating back to the turn of the century can be found in this Russian collection. (Link traced back via: Andrew Sullivan.) The color humanizes subjects who otherwise might look like the generic grainy scowling figures we associated with photography in the pre-candid era.
