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Optical grating recording with submicrometer spatial resolution, which can handle grey‐level patterns, has been investigated in photochromic material made of Disperse Red 1 (DR1) molecules vacuum‐deposited on a glass substrate. Holographic gratings of periods Λ within the range of 0.6 μm ‐ 12 μm were recorded by 514.5 nm light from cw Ar+ laser using a degenerate two‐wave mixing technique. Despite the very small DR1 layer thickness (∼ 0.1 μm), the diffraction efficiency measured in a Raman‐Nath scattering regime reached 2 %. The obtained amplitude gratings were analysed with an optical microscope and Fourier transforms. Grating profiles were analysed in relation to exposure conditions and in correlation with molecular organisation. Polarising microscopy studies revealed the presence of light‐induced optical anisotropy. Following that, we have checked the possibility of polarisation‐sensitive recording in this medium.