diff --git a/src/gui/text/qtextimagehandler.cpp b/src/gui/text/qtextimagehandler.cpp
index fcc13a58ff..138fb1a168 100644
--- a/src/gui/text/qtextimagehandler.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/text/qtextimagehandler.cpp
@@ -217,6 +217,13 @@ QSizeF QTextImageHandler::intrinsicSize(QTextDocument *doc, int posInDocument, c
     return getPixmapSize(doc, imageFormat);
 }
 
+QImage QTextImageHandler::image(QTextDocument *doc, const QTextImageFormat &imageFormat)
+{
+    Q_ASSERT(doc != 0);
+
+    return getImage(doc, imageFormat);
+}
+
 void QTextImageHandler::drawObject(QPainter *p, const QRectF &rect, QTextDocument *doc, int posInDocument, const QTextFormat &format)
 {
     Q_UNUSED(posInDocument)
diff --git a/src/gui/text/qtextimagehandler_p.h b/src/gui/text/qtextimagehandler_p.h
index 8285328da9..8a14a46d5f 100644
--- a/src/gui/text/qtextimagehandler_p.h
+++ b/src/gui/text/qtextimagehandler_p.h
@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@ QT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
 
 class QTextImageFormat;
 
-class QTextImageHandler : public QObject,
-                          public QTextObjectInterface
+class Q_GUI_EXPORT QTextImageHandler : public QObject,
+                                       public QTextObjectInterface
 {
     Q_OBJECT
     Q_INTERFACES(QTextObjectInterface)
@@ -70,9 +70,10 @@ public:
 
     virtual QSizeF intrinsicSize(QTextDocument *doc, int posInDocument, const QTextFormat &format);
     virtual void drawObject(QPainter *p, const QRectF &rect, QTextDocument *doc, int posInDocument, const QTextFormat &format);
+    QImage image(QTextDocument *doc, const QTextImageFormat &imageFormat);
 
     typedef QImage (*ExternalImageLoaderFunction)(const QString &name, const QString &context);
-    static Q_GUI_EXPORT ExternalImageLoaderFunction externalLoader; //this is needed by Qt3Support
+    static ExternalImageLoaderFunction externalLoader; //this is needed by Qt3Support
 };
 
 QT_END_NAMESPACE