Introduction : colors, natural and synthetic, in the ancient worldDiscovery of the physics of color -- The chemical causes of color -- Colorant usage from antiquity to the Perkin era -- Beyond Perkin -- Major analytical techniques based on color : volumetric analysis, chromatography, spectroscopy, color measurement -- Color on the biological and biochemical front -- Finale : color in foods, photochemistry, photoluminescence, pharmaceuticals, fireworks, fun, and the future.