Obsolete
This feature is obsolete. Although it may still work in some browsers, its use is discouraged since it could be removed at any time. Try to avoid using it.
Non-standard
This feature is non-standard and is not on a standards track. Do not use it on production sites facing the Web: it will not work for every user. There may also be large incompatibilities between implementations and the behavior may change in the future.
The HTML <image> element is an obsolete remnant of an ancient version of HTML lost in the mists of time; use the standard <img> element instead. Seriously, the specification even literally uses the words "Don't ask" when describing this element.
Do not use this! In order to display images, use the standard <img> element.
While browsers will attempt to automatically convert this into an <img> element, it won't always do so, and won't always succeed when it tries, due to the various ways this can happen. So just don't use it if you like your users.
Specifications
This might have once been part of a specification, but nobody seems to remember. It certainly isn't anymore. Just avoid it like the plague.
Browser compatibility
In general, browsers will attempt to map this to <img>, but only if the src attribute is specified as well. Creating an <image> element without a src attribute results in an HTMLElement object with the local element name "image". However, if the element is created with a src attribute, the result is instead an HTMLImageElement and its local element name is changed to "img".
However, that doesn't mean this is a good idea to use. It's not.
| Feature | Chrome | Edge | Firefox (Gecko) | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | ? | ? | (Yes)[1] | ? | ? | ? |
| Feature | Android | Edge | Firefox Mobile (Gecko) | IE Mobile | Opera Mobile | Safari Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | ? | ? | (Yes)[1] | ? | ? | ? |
[1] Until Firefox 22, creating an <image> element incorrectly resulted in an HTMLSpanElement object. It now correctly returns a HTMLElement as requested by the specification.
See also
<img>: The correct way to display an image in a document<picture>: A more powerful correct way to display an image in a document