Tannable imaging element

Claim 1

A tannable photographic element which is a layered structure comprising in sequence a. an opaque, translucent, or transparent primed base support, b. optionally, a substantially unhardened gelatin or other hydrophilic colloid subbing layer coated over the primed surface of said base support at a coating weight of less than 0.3 g/m 2 , c. a layer of silver halide emulsion in gelatin substantially free of hardener and containing at least one tanning developer and at least one colored pigment dispersed therein that absorbs radiation in the range of 350 to 700 nm, the silver in said layer of silver halide emulsion being present in a quantity of less than 0.6 g/m 2 , and the gelatin of said emulsion layer being present in a quantity so as to provide a silver/gelatin weight ratio of less than 0.5, and an emulsion layer gelatin/total tanning developer weight ratio in the range of 5 to 25, and d. a protective topcoat layer of substantially unhardened gelatin and containing in the range of 0.02 to 0.3 g/m 2 of a non-diffusable hydroquinone compound, said element being developable in an aqueous tanning activator comprising an alkaline solution having a pH of at least 9.5, and followed by a wash-off procedure for removing unexposed portions of the gelatin layer, and said at least one pigment being present in said element in a sufficient quantity to provide reflection optical density in the range of 1.0 to 2.0 for an element with an opaque or translucent base support, and a transmission optical density in the range of 1.0 to 3.5 for an element with a transparent base support.