diff --git a/gdk/x11/gdksettings.c b/gdk/x11/gdksettings.c
index fd7aacd676..e98b33ebd5 100644
--- a/gdk/x11/gdksettings.c
+++ b/gdk/x11/gdksettings.c
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ static const struct {
   {"Gtk/FontName",            "gtk-font-name"},
   {"Gtk/KeyThemeName",        "gtk-key-theme-name"},
   {"Gtk/Modules",             "gtk-modules"},
+  {"Gtk/MenuImages",          "gtk-menu-images"},
   {"Gtk/CursorThemeName",     "gtk-cursor-theme-name"},
   {"Gtk/CursorThemeSize",     "gtk-cursor-theme-size"},
   {"Gtk/ColorScheme",         "gtk-color-scheme"},
diff --git a/gtk/deprecated/gtkaction.c b/gtk/deprecated/gtkaction.c
index 3e5a6300c3..8d8db85da7 100644
--- a/gtk/deprecated/gtkaction.c
+++ b/gtk/deprecated/gtkaction.c
@@ -497,7 +497,8 @@ gtk_action_class_init (GtkActionClass *klass)
   /**
    * GtkAction:always-show-image:
    *
-   * If %TRUE, the action's menu item proxies will always show their image, if available.
+   * If %TRUE, the action's menu item proxies will ignore the #GtkSettings:gtk-menu-images 
+   * setting and always show their image, if available.
    *
    * Use this property if the menu item would be useless or hard to use
    * without their image. 
@@ -1352,8 +1353,8 @@ gtk_action_get_is_important (GtkAction *action)
  * @action: a #GtkAction
  * @always_show: %TRUE if menuitem proxies should always show their image
  *
- * Sets whether @action<!-- -->'s menu item proxies will always show
- * their image, if available.
+ * Sets whether @action<!-- -->'s menu item proxies will ignore the
+ * #GtkSettings:gtk-menu-images setting and always show their image, if available.
  *
  * Use this if the menu item would be useless or hard to use
  * without their image.
diff --git a/gtk/deprecated/gtkimagemenuitem.c b/gtk/deprecated/gtkimagemenuitem.c
index c12bae9d73..02545072ba 100644
--- a/gtk/deprecated/gtkimagemenuitem.c
+++ b/gtk/deprecated/gtkimagemenuitem.c
@@ -109,6 +109,8 @@ static void gtk_image_menu_item_get_property         (GObject         *object,
                                                       guint            prop_id,
                                                       GValue          *value,
                                                       GParamSpec      *pspec);
+static void gtk_image_menu_item_screen_changed       (GtkWidget       *widget,
+                                                      GdkScreen       *previous_screen);
 
 static void gtk_image_menu_item_recalculate          (GtkImageMenuItem *image_menu_item);
 
@@ -135,6 +137,7 @@ gtk_image_menu_item_class_init (GtkImageMenuItemClass *klass)
   GtkContainerClass *container_class = (GtkContainerClass*) klass;
 
   widget_class->destroy = gtk_image_menu_item_destroy;
+  widget_class->screen_changed = gtk_image_menu_item_screen_changed;
   widget_class->get_preferred_width = gtk_image_menu_item_get_preferred_width;
   widget_class->get_preferred_height = gtk_image_menu_item_get_preferred_height;
   widget_class->get_preferred_height_for_width = gtk_image_menu_item_get_preferred_height_for_width;
@@ -306,6 +309,21 @@ gtk_image_menu_item_get_property (GObject         *object,
     }
 }
 
+static gboolean
+show_image (GtkImageMenuItem *image_menu_item)
+{
+  GtkImageMenuItemPrivate *priv = image_menu_item->priv;
+  GtkSettings *settings = gtk_widget_get_settings (GTK_WIDGET (image_menu_item));
+  gboolean show;
+
+  if (priv->always_show_image)
+    show = TRUE;
+  else
+    g_object_get (settings, "gtk-menu-images", &show, NULL);
+
+  return show;
+}
+
 static void
 gtk_image_menu_item_map (GtkWidget *widget)
 {
@@ -316,7 +334,7 @@ gtk_image_menu_item_map (GtkWidget *widget)
 
   if (priv->image)
     g_object_set (priv->image,
-                  "visible", priv->always_show_image,
+                  "visible", show_image (image_menu_item),
                   NULL);
 }
 
@@ -932,7 +950,8 @@ gtk_image_menu_item_get_use_stock (GtkImageMenuItem *image_menu_item)
  * @image_menu_item: a #GtkImageMenuItem
  * @always_show: %TRUE if the menuitem should always show the image
  *
- * If %TRUE, the menu item will always show the image, if available.
+ * If %TRUE, the menu item will ignore the #GtkSettings:gtk-menu-images
+ * setting and always show the image, if available.
  *
  * Use this property if the menuitem would be useless or hard to use
  * without the image.
@@ -957,7 +976,7 @@ gtk_image_menu_item_set_always_show_image (GtkImageMenuItem *image_menu_item,
 
       if (priv->image)
         {
-          if (priv->always_show_image)
+          if (show_image (image_menu_item))
             gtk_widget_show (priv->image);
           else
             gtk_widget_hide (priv->image);
@@ -971,7 +990,8 @@ gtk_image_menu_item_set_always_show_image (GtkImageMenuItem *image_menu_item,
  * gtk_image_menu_item_get_always_show_image:
  * @image_menu_item: a #GtkImageMenuItem
  *
- * Returns whether the menu item will always show the image, if available.
+ * Returns whether the menu item will ignore the #GtkSettings:gtk-menu-images
+ * setting and always show the image, if available.
  *
  * Returns: %TRUE if the menu item will always show the image
  *
@@ -1075,7 +1095,7 @@ gtk_image_menu_item_set_image (GtkImageMenuItem *image_menu_item,
 
   gtk_widget_set_parent (image, GTK_WIDGET (image_menu_item));
   g_object_set (image,
-                "visible", priv->always_show_image,
+                "visible", show_image (image_menu_item),
                 "no-show-all", TRUE,
                 NULL);
 
@@ -1128,3 +1148,66 @@ gtk_image_menu_item_remove (GtkContainer *container,
       GTK_CONTAINER_CLASS (gtk_image_menu_item_parent_class)->remove (container, child);
     }
 }
+
+static void
+show_image_change_notify (GtkImageMenuItem *image_menu_item)
+{
+  GtkImageMenuItemPrivate *priv = image_menu_item->priv;
+
+  if (priv->image)
+    {
+      if (show_image (image_menu_item))
+        gtk_widget_show (priv->image);
+      else
+        gtk_widget_hide (priv->image);
+    }
+}
+
+static void
+traverse_container (GtkWidget *widget,
+                    gpointer   data)
+{
+  if (GTK_IS_IMAGE_MENU_ITEM (widget))
+    show_image_change_notify (GTK_IMAGE_MENU_ITEM (widget));
+  else if (GTK_IS_CONTAINER (widget))
+    gtk_container_forall (GTK_CONTAINER (widget), traverse_container, NULL);
+}
+
+static void
+gtk_image_menu_item_setting_changed (GtkSettings *settings)
+{
+  GList *list, *l;
+
+  list = gtk_window_list_toplevels ();
+
+  for (l = list; l; l = l->next)
+    gtk_container_forall (GTK_CONTAINER (l->data),
+                          traverse_container, NULL);
+
+  g_list_free (list);
+}
+
+static void
+gtk_image_menu_item_screen_changed (GtkWidget *widget,
+                                    GdkScreen *previous_screen)
+{
+  GtkSettings *settings;
+  gulong show_image_connection;
+
+  if (!gtk_widget_has_screen (widget))
+    return;
+
+  settings = gtk_widget_get_settings (widget);
+
+  show_image_connection =
+    g_signal_handler_find (settings, G_SIGNAL_MATCH_FUNC, 0, 0,
+                           NULL, gtk_image_menu_item_setting_changed, NULL);
+
+  if (show_image_connection)
+    return;
+
+  g_signal_connect (settings, "notify::gtk-menu-images",
+                    G_CALLBACK (gtk_image_menu_item_setting_changed), NULL);
+
+  show_image_change_notify (GTK_IMAGE_MENU_ITEM (widget));
+}
diff --git a/gtk/gtksettings.c b/gtk/gtksettings.c
index 484a5c1354..0c79c4a2ee 100644
--- a/gtk/gtksettings.c
+++ b/gtk/gtksettings.c
@@ -1350,7 +1350,7 @@ gtk_settings_class_init (GtkSettingsClass *class)
    *
    * Whether images should be shown in menu items
    *
-   * Deprecated: 3.10: This setting is ignored
+   * Deprecated: 3.10: This setting is deprecated
    */
   result = settings_install_property_parser (class,
                                              g_param_spec_boolean ("gtk-menu-images",