diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 55ccfc22f..9b2b6492d 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ awesome_SOURCES = \
 	ewmh.c ewmh.h
 awesome_SOURCES += $(LAYOUTS)
 awesome_SOURCES += $(WIDGETS)
-awesome_LDADD = $(X_LIBS) $(PANGOCAIRO_LIBS) $(CONFUSE_LIBS) $(XRANDR_LIBS) $(XINERAMA_LIBS)
+awesome_LDADD = $(X_LIBS) $(PANGOCAIRO_LIBS) $(CONFUSE_LIBS) $(XRANDR_LIBS) $(XINERAMA_LIBS) $(XPM_LIBS)
 
 bin_PROGRAMS += awesome-client
 awesome_client_SOURCES = \
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ awesome_message_SOURCES = \
 	common/xscreen.h common/xscreen.c \
 	awesome-message.c
 
-awesome_message_LDADD = $(X_LIBS) $(PANGOCAIRO_LIBS) $(CONFUSE_LIBS) $(XINERAMA_LIBS)
+awesome_message_LDADD = $(X_LIBS) $(PANGOCAIRO_LIBS) $(CONFUSE_LIBS) $(XINERAMA_LIBS) $(XPM_LIBS)
 
 bin_PROGRAMS += awesome-menu
 awesome_menu_SOURCES = \
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ awesome_menu_SOURCES = \
 	common/xutil.h common/xutil.c \
 	awesome-menu.c
 
-awesome_menu_LDADD = $(X_LIBS) $(PANGOCAIRO_LIBS) $(CONFUSE_LIBS) $(XINERAMA_LIBS)
+awesome_menu_LDADD = $(X_LIBS) $(PANGOCAIRO_LIBS) $(CONFUSE_LIBS) $(XINERAMA_LIBS) $(XPM_LIBS)
 
 if HAVE_XMLTO
 if HAVE_ASCIIDOC
diff --git a/awesome-message.c b/awesome-message.c
index 106a2ea92..aded3561f 100644
--- a/awesome-message.c
+++ b/awesome-message.c
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 
     if(argc - optind >= 2)
     {
-        icon_geometry = draw_get_image_size(argv[optind + 1]);
+        icon_geometry = draw_image_size_format_png(argv[optind + 1]);
         if(icon_geometry.width <= 0 || icon_geometry.height <= 0)
             eprint("invalid image\n");
         else
diff --git a/common/draw.c b/common/draw.c
index 10e5e52f0..f544420a4 100644
--- a/common/draw.c
+++ b/common/draw.c
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
 #include <cairo.h>
 #include <cairo-xlib.h>
 
+#include <X11/xpm.h>
+
 #include <langinfo.h>
 #include <iconv.h>
 #include <errno.h>
@@ -581,6 +583,26 @@ void draw_image_from_argb_data(DrawCtx *ctx, int x, int y, int w, int h,
     cairo_surface_destroy(source);
 }
 
+static void
+draw_image_format_xpm(DrawCtx *ctx, int x, int y, char *filename)
+{
+    Pixmap pxm, shapemask;
+    XpmAttributes attr;
+
+    if(XpmReadFileToPixmap(ctx->display, ctx->drawable,
+                           filename,
+                           &pxm, &shapemask,
+                           &attr))
+        return warn("cannot load image %s\n", filename);
+
+    XCopyArea(ctx->display, pxm, ctx->drawable,
+              DefaultGC(ctx->display, ctx->phys_screen),
+              0, 0, attr.width, attr.height,
+              x, y);
+
+    XFreePixmap(ctx->display, pxm);
+}
+
 /** Draw an image (PNG format only) from a file to a draw context
  * \param ctx Draw context to draw to
  * \param x x coordinate
@@ -588,8 +610,8 @@ void draw_image_from_argb_data(DrawCtx *ctx, int x, int y, int w, int h,
  * \param wanted_h wanted height: if > 0, image will be resized
  * \param filename file name to draw
  */
-void
-draw_image(DrawCtx *ctx, int x, int y, int wanted_h, const char *filename)
+static void
+draw_image_format_png(DrawCtx *ctx, int x, int y, int wanted_h, const char *filename)
 {
     double ratio;
     int h;
@@ -619,12 +641,29 @@ draw_image(DrawCtx *ctx, int x, int y, int wanted_h, const char *filename)
     cairo_surface_destroy(source);
 }
 
+void
+draw_image(DrawCtx *ctx, int x, int y, int wanted_h, char *filename)
+{
+    char *dot;
+
+    if(!a_strlen(filename))
+        return;
+
+    if(!(dot = strrchr(filename, '.')))
+        return warn("cannot determine file type for %s\n", filename);
+
+    if(!a_strcasecmp(++dot, "png"))
+        draw_image_format_png(ctx, x, y, wanted_h, filename);
+    else if(!a_strcasecmp(dot, "xpm"))
+        draw_image_format_xpm(ctx, x, y, filename);
+}
+
 /** Get an imag size (PNG format only)
  * \param filename file name
  * \return area_t structure with width and height set to image size
  */
 area_t
-draw_get_image_size(const char *filename)
+draw_image_size_format_png(const char *filename)
 {
     area_t size = { -1, -1, -1, -1, NULL, NULL };
     cairo_surface_t *surface;
diff --git a/common/draw.h b/common/draw.h
index 4d2e2afbb..94df16eaf 100644
--- a/common/draw.h
+++ b/common/draw.h
@@ -130,9 +130,9 @@ void draw_graph_setup(DrawCtx *);
 void draw_graph(DrawCtx *, area_t, int *, int *, int, Position, area_t, XColor *, XColor *, XColor *);
 void draw_graph_line(DrawCtx *, area_t, int *, int, Position, area_t, XColor *, XColor *, XColor *);
 void draw_circle(DrawCtx *, int, int, int, Bool, XColor);
-void draw_image(DrawCtx *, int, int, int, const char *);
+void draw_image(DrawCtx *, int, int, int, char *);
 void draw_image_from_argb_data(DrawCtx *, int, int, int, int, int, unsigned char *);
-area_t draw_get_image_size(const char *filename);
+area_t draw_image_size_format_png(const char *filename);
 Drawable draw_rotate(DrawCtx *, int, double, int, int);
 unsigned short draw_textwidth(Display *, font_t *, char *);
 Alignment draw_align_get_from_str(const char *);
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 94ea525b0..0a9b942a5 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -114,6 +114,8 @@ PKG_CHECK_MODULES([XINERAMA], [xinerama],,
    [AC_MSG_ERROR([awesome requires Xinerama.])])
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES([XRANDR], [xrandr],,
    [AC_MSG_ERROR([awesome requires Xrandr.])])
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES([XPM], [xpm],,
+   [AC_MSG_ERROR([awesome requires XPM.])])
 
 # Checks for header files.
 AC_PATH_X
diff --git a/widgets/focusicon.c b/widgets/focusicon.c
index 71860cc77..a0b8588d7 100644
--- a/widgets/focusicon.c
+++ b/widgets/focusicon.c
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ focusicon_draw(Widget *widget, DrawCtx *ctx, int offset,
 
     if((r = rule_matching_client(sel)) && r->icon)
     {
-        area = draw_get_image_size(r->icon);
+        area = draw_image_size_format_png(r->icon);
         widget->area.width = ((double) widget->statusbar->height / (double) area.height)
             * area.width;
         if(!widget->user_supplied_x)
diff --git a/widgets/iconbox.c b/widgets/iconbox.c
index 3a3410f9f..4fc20e403 100644
--- a/widgets/iconbox.c
+++ b/widgets/iconbox.c
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ iconbox_draw(Widget *widget, DrawCtx *ctx, int offset,
              int used __attribute__ ((unused)))
 {
     Data *d = widget->data;
-    area_t area = draw_get_image_size(d->image);
+    area_t area = draw_image_size_format_png(d->image);
 
     /* image not valid */
     if(area.width < 0 || area.height < 0)
diff --git a/widgets/layoutinfo.c b/widgets/layoutinfo.c
index 5f1c7cfd7..1d6ef076c 100644
--- a/widgets/layoutinfo.c
+++ b/widgets/layoutinfo.c
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ layoutinfo_draw(Widget *widget,
                 int used __attribute__ ((unused)))
 {
     Tag **curtags = tags_get_current(widget->statusbar->screen);
-    area_t area = draw_get_image_size(curtags[0]->layout->image);
+    area_t area = draw_image_size_format_png(curtags[0]->layout->image);
 
     if(!widget->user_supplied_x)
         widget->area.x = widget_calculate_offset(widget->statusbar->width,
diff --git a/widgets/tasklist.c b/widgets/tasklist.c
index 218000808..ebcf9174b 100644
--- a/widgets/tasklist.c
+++ b/widgets/tasklist.c
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ tasklist_draw(Widget *widget, DrawCtx *ctx, int offset, int used)
 
                 if((r = rule_matching_client(c)) && r->icon)
                 {
-                    area = draw_get_image_size(r->icon);
+                    area = draw_image_size_format_png(r->icon);
                     if(area.width > 0 && area.height > 0)
                     {
                         icon_width = ((double) widget->statusbar->height / (double) area.height) * area.width;