diff --git a/src/components/structures/MessagePanel.js b/src/components/structures/MessagePanel.js
index 66e2daddd5..aaa00934cb 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/MessagePanel.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/MessagePanel.js
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 var React = require('react');
 var ReactDOM = require("react-dom");
+var dis = require("../../dispatcher");
 var sdk = require('../../index');
 
 /* (almost) stateless UI component which builds the event tiles in the room timeline.
@@ -301,8 +302,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                         ref={this._collectEventNode.bind(this, eventId)}
                         data-scroll-token={scrollToken}>
                     <EventTile mxEvent={mxEv} continuation={continuation}
-                        last={last} isSelectedEvent={highlight}
-                        onImageLoad={this._onImageLoad} />
+                        last={last} isSelectedEvent={highlight} />
                 </li>
         );
 
@@ -368,14 +368,8 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         this.eventNodes[eventId] = node;
     },
 
-
-    // once images in the events load, make the scrollPanel check the
-    // scroll offsets.
-    _onImageLoad: function() {
-        var scrollPanel = this.refs.scrollPanel;
-        if (scrollPanel) {
-            scrollPanel.checkScroll();
-        }
+    onResize: function() {
+        dis.dispatch({ action: 'timeline_resize' }, true);
     },
 
     render: function() {
@@ -392,6 +386,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         return (
             <ScrollPanel ref="scrollPanel" className="mx_RoomView_messagePanel"
                     onScroll={ this.props.onScroll } 
+                    onResize={ this.onResize }
                     onFillRequest={ this.props.onFillRequest }
                     style={ this.props.hidden ? { display: 'none' } : {} }
                     stickyBottom={ this.props.stickyBottom }>
diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
index 3f4a666c56..1c1b0ede40 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
@@ -485,6 +485,10 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         }
     },
 
+    onSearchResultsResize: function() {
+        dis.dispatch({ action: 'timeline_resize' }, true);
+    },
+
     onSearchResultsFillRequest: function(backwards) {
         if (!backwards)
             return q(false);
@@ -1361,7 +1365,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         if (this.state.searchResults) {
             searchResultsPanel = (
                 <ScrollPanel ref="searchResultsPanel" className="mx_RoomView_messagePanel mx_RoomView_searchResultsPanel"
-                        onFillRequest={ this.onSearchResultsFillRequest }>
+                        onFillRequest={ this.onSearchResultsFillRequest } onResize={ this.onSearchResultsResize }>
                     <li className={scrollheader_classes}></li>
                     {this.getSearchResultTiles()}
                 </ScrollPanel>
diff --git a/src/components/structures/ScrollPanel.js b/src/components/structures/ScrollPanel.js
index 874078456e..ddec81c107 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/ScrollPanel.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/ScrollPanel.js
@@ -94,6 +94,11 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
          */
         onScroll: React.PropTypes.func,
 
+        /* onResize: a callback which is called whenever the Gemini scroll
+         * panel is resized
+         */
+        onResize: React.PropTypes.func,
+
         /* className: classnames to add to the top-level div
          */
         className: React.PropTypes.string,
@@ -181,6 +186,12 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         this.checkFillState();
     },
 
+    onResize: function() {
+        this.props.onResize();
+        this.checkScroll();
+        this.refs.geminiPanel.forceUpdate();
+    },
+
     // after an update to the contents of the panel, check that the scroll is
     // where it ought to be, and set off pagination requests if necessary.
     checkScroll: function() {
@@ -481,7 +492,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         // reflect the fact that we don't necessarily contain a list of messages.
         // it's not obvious why we have a separate div and ol anyway.
         return (<GeminiScrollbar autoshow={true} ref="geminiPanel"
-                onScroll={this.onScroll} onResize={this.checkScroll}
+                onScroll={this.onScroll} onResize={this.onResize}
                 className={this.props.className} style={this.props.style}>
                     <div className="mx_RoomView_messageListWrapper">
                         <ol ref="itemlist" className="mx_RoomView_MessageList" aria-live="polite">
diff --git a/src/components/views/messages/MImageBody.js b/src/components/views/messages/MImageBody.js
index b60098295a..ff05cf8609 100644
--- a/src/components/views/messages/MImageBody.js
+++ b/src/components/views/messages/MImageBody.js
@@ -105,24 +105,52 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         return MatrixClientPeg.get().mxcUrlToHttp(content.url, 800, 600);
     },
 
+    componentDidMount: function() {
+        this.dispatcherRef = dis.register(this.onAction);
+        this.fixupHeight();
+    },
+
+    componentWillUnmount: function() {
+        dis.unregister(this.dispatcherRef);
+    },
+
+    onAction: function(payload) {
+        if (payload.action === "timeline_resize") {
+            this.fixupHeight();
+        }
+    },
+
+    fixupHeight: function() {
+        if (!this.refs.image) {
+            console.warn("Refusing to fix up height on MImageBody with no image element");
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var content = this.props.mxEvent.getContent();
+
+        var thumbHeight = null;
+        var timelineWidth = this.refs.body.offsetWidth;
+        var maxHeight = 600; // let images take up as much width as they can so long as the height doesn't exceed 600px.
+        // the alternative here would be 600*timelineWidth/800; to scale them down to fit inside a 4:3 bounding box
+
+        //console.log("trying to fit image into timelineWidth of " + this.refs.body.offsetWidth + " or " + this.refs.body.clientWidth);
+        if (content.info) thumbHeight = this.thumbHeight(content.info.w, content.info.h, timelineWidth, maxHeight);
+        this.refs.image.style.height = thumbHeight + "px";
+        // console.log("Image height now", thumbHeight);
+    },
+
     render: function() {
         var TintableSvg = sdk.getComponent("elements.TintableSvg");
         var content = this.props.mxEvent.getContent();
         var cli = MatrixClientPeg.get();
 
-        var thumbHeight = null;
-        if (content.info) thumbHeight = this.thumbHeight(content.info.w, content.info.h, 800, 600);
-
-        var imgStyle = {};
-        if (thumbHeight) imgStyle['maxHeight'] = thumbHeight;
-
         var thumbUrl = this._getThumbUrl();
         if (thumbUrl) {
             return (
-                <span className="mx_MImageBody">
+                <span className="mx_MImageBody" ref="body">
                     <a href={cli.mxcUrlToHttp(content.url)} onClick={ this.onClick }>
-                        <img className="mx_MImageBody_thumbnail" src={thumbUrl}
-                            alt={content.body} style={imgStyle}
+                        <img className="mx_MImageBody_thumbnail" src={thumbUrl} ref="image"
+                            alt={content.body}
                             onMouseEnter={this.onImageEnter}
                             onMouseLeave={this.onImageLeave}
                             onLoad={this.props.onImageLoad} />