Yup. Color photography was invented in 1903. But we have color photographs from before then. How? The man took three B&W plates simultaneously, one each through red, green, and blue filters. He'd project them on a wall using a reverse system. Now, through the magic of photo editors, we have them again:

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/

Actually, they're of almost modern quality, because black & white was pretty well perfected, and because the slight spacing of the lenses gives a better depth of field.