Growth mode of thiacarbocyanine J-aggregates with counter ions of different electronic charges is examined, referring to our previous studies with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cathodoluminescence electron microscopy, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A reinvestigation of the previous XPS studies suggests the dyes nucleate in solution and adsorb onto AgBr microcrystals in gelatin to form multilayered islands in Volmer-Weber growth mode,¹ rather than in Van der Merwe type monolayer adsorption. Microscopic studies clearly supported the island-growth mode of J-aggregates on AgBr emulsion crystal surfaces, and the height of each J-aggregate island was measured to be a multiple of unit thickness. However, the number of J-aggregate monolayers in one unit thickness differed with the type of counter ions of the dye.