Bromide (Japanese culture)

In Japanese culture, bromide (ブロマイド, buromaido) is a category of commercial photographic portraits of celebrities including geisha, singers, actors and actresses of both stage and film, and sports stars. The use of the term "bromide" or "promide" occurs regardless of whether bromide paper was actually used for the photograph.

Bromide prints are made of paper infused with silver bromide, making them sensitive to light and therefore able to be used for enlargement. Their use began in the 1880s, and because they had a range of finishes, they became the primary paper for black and white photography in the 1900s.