The class of quasi-graphic matroids recently introduced by Geelen, Gerards, and Whittle generalises each of the classes of frame matroids and lifted-graphic matroids introduced earlier by Zaslavsky. For each biased graph $(G, mathcal B)$ Zaslavsky de
fined a unique lift matroid $L(G, mathcal B)$ and a unique frame matroid $F(G, mathcal B)$, each on ground set $E(G)$. We show that in general there may be many quasi-graphic matroids on $E(G)$ and describe them all. We provide cryptomorphic descriptions in terms of subgraphs corresponding to circuits, cocircuits, independent sets, and bases. Equipped with these descriptions, we prove some results about quasi-graphic matroids. In particular, we provide alternate proofs that do not require 3-connectivity of two results of Geelen, Gerards, and Whittle for 3-connected matroids from their introductory paper: namely, that every quasi-graphic matroid linearly representable over a field is either lifted-graphic or frame, and that if a matroid $M$ has a framework with a loop that is not a loop of $M$ then $M$ is either lifted-graphic or frame. We also provide sufficient conditions for a quasi-graphic matroid to have a unique framework. Zaslavsky has asked for those matroids whose independent sets are contained in the collection of independent sets of $F(G, mathcal B)$ while containing those of $L(G, mathcal B)$, for some biased graph $(G, mathcal B)$. Adding a natural (and necessary) non-degeneracy condition defines a class of matroids, which we call biased graphic. We show that the class of biased graphic matroids almost coincides with the class of quasi-graphic matroids: every quasi-graphic matroid is biased graphic, and if $M$ is a biased graphic matroid that is not quasi-graphic then $M$ is a 2-sum of a frame matroid with one or more lifted-graphic matroids.
Let $M$ be a 3-connected matroid and let $mathbb F$ be a field. Let $A$ be a matrix over $mathbb F$ representing $M$ and let $(G,mathcal B)$ be a biased graph representing $M$. We characterize the relationship between $A$ and $(G,mathcal B)$, settlin
g four conjectures of Zaslavsky. We show that for each matrix representation $A$ and each biased graph representation $(G,mathcal B)$ of $M$, $A$ is projectively equivalent to a canonical matrix representation arising from $G$ as a gain graph over $mathbb F^+$ or $mathbb F^times$. Further, we show that the projective equivalence classes of matrix representations of $M$ are in one-to-one correspondence with the switching equivalence classes of gain graphs arising from $(G,mathcal B)$.
