diff --git a/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.cpp b/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.cpp
index 36469f0b5..f3db08f9e 100644
--- a/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.cpp
+++ b/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.cpp
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #include <QTextCodec>
 #include <QTimer>
 #include <QMessageBox>
+#include <QTextDocumentFragment>
 
 #include "retroshare/rspeers.h"
 #include <retroshare/rshistory.h>
@@ -131,6 +132,7 @@ FriendsDialog::FriendsDialog(QWidget *parent)
     connect(ui.textitalicChatButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(setFont()));
     connect(ui.fontsButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(chooseFont()));
     connect(ui.colorChatButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(chooseColor()));
+    connect(ui.attachPictureButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(addExtraPicture()));
     connect(ui.actionSave_History, SIGNAL(triggered()), this, SLOT(fileSaveAs()));
 
     connect(ui.hashBox, SIGNAL(fileHashingFinished(QList<HashedFile>)), this, SLOT(fileHashingFinished(QList<HashedFile>)));
@@ -232,6 +234,11 @@ FriendsDialog::FriendsDialog(QWidget *parent)
 #ifdef Q_WS_WIN
 
 #endif
+
+#if QT_VERSION < 0x040700
+    // embedded images are not supported before QT 4.7.0
+    ui->attachPictureButton->setVisible(false);
+#endif
 }
 
 FriendsDialog::~FriendsDialog ()
@@ -800,6 +807,19 @@ void FriendsDialog::addExtraFile()
     }
 }
 
+void FriendsDialog::addExtraPicture()
+{
+    // select a picture file
+    QString file;
+    if (misc::getOpenFileName(window(), RshareSettings::LASTDIR_IMAGES, tr("Load Picture File"), "Pictures (*.png *.xpm *.jpg)", file)) {
+        QString encodedImage;
+        if (RsHtml::makeEmbeddedImage(file, encodedImage, 640*480)) {
+            QTextDocumentFragment fragment = QTextDocumentFragment::fromHtml(encodedImage);
+            ui.lineEdit->textCursor().insertFragment(fragment);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 void FriendsDialog::fileHashingFinished(QList<HashedFile> hashedFiles)
 {
     std::cerr << "FriendsDialog::fileHashingFinished() started." << std::endl;
diff --git a/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.h b/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.h
index 73e237f96..9da3bb78f 100644
--- a/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.h
+++ b/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.h
@@ -118,6 +118,8 @@ private slots:
 
     void addExtraFile();
 
+    void addExtraPicture();
+
     bool fileSave();
     bool fileSaveAs();
 
diff --git a/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.ui b/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.ui
index 0eab518a7..8698289b6 100644
--- a/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.ui
+++ b/retroshare-gui/src/gui/FriendsDialog.ui
@@ -550,41 +550,35 @@
                </widget>
               </item>
               <item>
-               <widget class="QToolButton" name="menuButton">
-                <property name="sizePolicy">
-                 <sizepolicy hsizetype="Expanding" vsizetype="Expanding">
-                  <horstretch>0</horstretch>
-                  <verstretch>0</verstretch>
-                 </sizepolicy>
-                </property>
+               <widget class="QToolButton" name="attachPictureButton">
                 <property name="minimumSize">
                  <size>
-                  <width>24</width>
-                  <height>24</height>
+                  <width>28</width>
+                  <height>28</height>
                  </size>
                 </property>
                 <property name="maximumSize">
                  <size>
-                  <width>24</width>
-                  <height>24</height>
+                  <width>28</width>
+                  <height>28</height>
                  </size>
                 </property>
                 <property name="focusPolicy">
                  <enum>Qt::NoFocus</enum>
                 </property>
+                <property name="toolTip">
+                 <string>Attach a Picture</string>
+                </property>
                 <property name="icon">
                  <iconset resource="images.qrc">
-                  <normaloff>:/images/configure.png</normaloff>:/images/configure.png</iconset>
+                  <normaloff>:/images/add_image24.png</normaloff>:/images/add_image24.png</iconset>
                 </property>
                 <property name="iconSize">
                  <size>
-                  <width>22</width>
-                  <height>22</height>
+                  <width>24</width>
+                  <height>24</height>
                  </size>
                 </property>
-                <property name="popupMode">
-                 <enum>QToolButton::InstantPopup</enum>
-                </property>
                 <property name="autoRaise">
                  <bool>true</bool>
                 </property>
@@ -631,6 +625,47 @@
                 </property>
                </widget>
               </item>
+              <item>
+               <widget class="QToolButton" name="menuButton">
+                <property name="sizePolicy">
+                 <sizepolicy hsizetype="Expanding" vsizetype="Expanding">
+                  <horstretch>0</horstretch>
+                  <verstretch>0</verstretch>
+                 </sizepolicy>
+                </property>
+                <property name="minimumSize">
+                 <size>
+                  <width>24</width>
+                  <height>24</height>
+                 </size>
+                </property>
+                <property name="maximumSize">
+                 <size>
+                  <width>24</width>
+                  <height>24</height>
+                 </size>
+                </property>
+                <property name="focusPolicy">
+                 <enum>Qt::NoFocus</enum>
+                </property>
+                <property name="icon">
+                 <iconset resource="images.qrc">
+                  <normaloff>:/images/configure.png</normaloff>:/images/configure.png</iconset>
+                </property>
+                <property name="iconSize">
+                 <size>
+                  <width>22</width>
+                  <height>22</height>
+                 </size>
+                </property>
+                <property name="popupMode">
+                 <enum>QToolButton::InstantPopup</enum>
+                </property>
+                <property name="autoRaise">
+                 <bool>true</bool>
+                </property>
+               </widget>
+              </item>
               <item>
                <spacer>
                 <property name="orientation">