Amphoteric polymers prepared by polymerization of (a) acrylic acid, (b) N,N-dimethyl- or N,N-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate and, optionally, (c) esters of methacrylic or acrylic acid prepared by (i) emulsion polymerization of (b), (c) and the methyl ester of (a), followed by basic hydrolysis, or (ii) polymerization of (a), (b) and (c) in the presence of a strong acid, and photographic emulsions comprised of said polymers in which the molar ratio of (a) to (b) is at least 2 to 1 and a silver halide.