Systems of additive color are motivated by the Young-Helmholtz theory of trichromatic color vision, which was articulated around 1850 by Hermann von Helmholtz, based on earlier work by Thomas Young.

The trichromatic theory, or Young-Helmholtz theory, proposed in the 19th century by Thomas Young and Hermann von Helmholtz, as mentioned above, states that the retina's three types of cones are preferentially sensitive to blue, green, and red.

Helmholtz, along with Thomas Young, proposed the trichromatic theory, or the Young-Helmholtz theory, that stated that the retina contains three types of cones, which respond to light of three different wavelengths, corresponding to red, green, or blue.

The RGB color model is based on the Young-Helmholtz theory of trichromatic color vision, developed by Thomas Young and Hermann Helmholtz, in the early to mid nineteenth century, and on James Clerk Maxwell's color triangle that elaborated that theory (circa 1860).

The Young-Helmholtz theory (based on the work of Thomas Young and Hermann von Helmholtz in the 19th century) is a theory of trichromatic color vision - the manner in which the photoreceptor cells in the eyes of humans and other primates work to enable color vision.

The Young-Helmholtz theory is still usually seen as the most effective in modeling human color vision, though the color vision system is far more complex than differences in the retina alone, with different cells in the lateral geniculate nucleus also responding in opponent fashion to complementary colors, and further color-coding occurs in the visual cortex.