This paper reports on the structure, mechanical, and photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and tungsten oxide (WO3) films on a brass substrate. TiO2 and WO3 films have been successfully deposited on brass by a simple sol-gel dip-coating method and it has been shown that, while both films possess photocatalytic properties, WO3 films were superior to TiO2. Higher surface area and rod-like morphology of WO3 films might have contributed to their higher photocatalytic activity. Nanoindentation results have shown that both films attach well to the substrate and possess good mechanical properties.