When color film and processing became affordable in the 1970s the popularity of color images surpassed black and white which began to fade into the background.  As time passed and digital cameras gained popularity black and white faded still further into the background. 

While the general use of black and white was replaced by color, the black and white landscape images of Ansel Adams, street photography of Robert Doisneau, George Hurrell's shots of Hollywood stars, historical images of Native Americans by Edward Curtis, and other classic photographers began to gain in popularity and value.

Today, black and white photography is seeing a resurgence.  It's being featured in television and magazine advertisements, new photography magazines have been launched specializing in black and white, and businesses and homes are decorating with fine art black and white photography.