Abstract: Dense populations of photosynthetic bacteria were discovered not only in water, but also in lacustrine and littoral sediments. The pigments of phototrophic bacteria have been becoming a hot topic of scientific interest since the 1940s. Anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria live in chemocline of meromictic lakes and sea, which is the interface between oxic and anoxic mixolimnion. Depth of the H2S chemocline, which is related to paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental changes sensitively, is reflected by bacteriochlorophylls (BChls) in the sediment core. This paper illuminates distribution and evolution of anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria together with their pigments. HPLC is a popular measurement for pigments. Finally, the environmental implications of fossil pigments are discussed: (1) BChls can indicate the existence of photosynthetic prokaryote; (2) As the biomarker, BChls in sediments represent the depth changes of the H2S chemocline; (3) Anoxygenic photosynthetic pigments in sediments also can be used to reconstruct the historical record of anoxygenic primary production.