diff --git a/src/drawer.js b/src/drawer.js
index b8d87aba..3ebb54ca 100644
--- a/src/drawer.js
+++ b/src/drawer.js
@@ -288,13 +288,13 @@ $.Drawer.prototype = /** @lends OpenSeadragon.Drawer.prototype */{
     },
 
     // private
-    drawPlaceholder: function(rect) {
+    drawPlaceholder: function(rect, fillStyle) {
         if (!this.useCanvas) {
             return;
         }
 
+        this.context.fillStyle = fillStyle || "#FFFFFF";
         this.context.fillRect(rect.x, rect.y, rect.width, rect.height);
-        this.context.fillStyle = "#000000";
     },
 
     // private
diff --git a/src/openseadragon.js b/src/openseadragon.js
index 8d231cbe..e0ff9c9b 100644
--- a/src/openseadragon.js
+++ b/src/openseadragon.js
@@ -206,6 +206,9 @@
   * @property {Number} [opacity=1]
   *     Opacity of the drawer (1=opaque, 0=transparent)
   *
+  * @property {String|Object} [placeholderFillStyle=null]
+  *     Draws a colored rectangle behind the tile if it is not loaded yet.
+  *
   * @property {Number} [degrees=0]
   *     Initial rotation.
   *
@@ -262,7 +265,7 @@
   *     Possible subproperties (Numbers, in screen coordinates): left, top, right, bottom.
   *
   * @property {Number} [imageLoaderLimit=0]
-  *     The maximum number of image requests to make concurrently.  By default
+  *     The maximum number of image requests to make concurrently. By default
   *     it is set to 0 allowing the browser to make the maximum number of
   *     image requests in parallel as allowed by the browsers policy.
   *
@@ -1017,6 +1020,7 @@ window.OpenSeadragon = window.OpenSeadragon || function( options ){
 
             // APPEARANCE
             opacity:                1,
+            placeholderFillStyle:       null,
 
             //REFERENCE STRIP SETTINGS
             showReferenceStrip:          false,
diff --git a/src/tiledimage.js b/src/tiledimage.js
index 464f2477..14f342f0 100644
--- a/src/tiledimage.js
+++ b/src/tiledimage.js
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@
  * @param {Boolean} [options.alwaysBlend] - See {@link OpenSeadragon.Options}.
  * @param {Number} [options.minPixelRatio] - See {@link OpenSeadragon.Options}.
  * @param {Boolean} [options.debugMode] - See {@link OpenSeadragon.Options}.
+ * @param {String|Object} [options.placeholderFillStyle] - See {@link OpenSeadragon.Options}.
  * @param {String|Boolean} [options.crossOriginPolicy] - See {@link OpenSeadragon.Options}.
  */
 $.TiledImage = function( options ) {
@@ -126,21 +127,22 @@ $.TiledImage = function( options ) {
         coverage:       {},    // A '3d' dictionary [level][x][y] --> Boolean.
         lastDrawn:      [],    // An unordered list of Tiles drawn last frame.
         lastResetTime:  0,     // Last time for which the tiledImage was reset.
-        _midDraw:      false, // Is the tiledImage currently updating the viewport?
-        _needsDraw:    true,  // Does the tiledImage need to update the viewport again?
+        _midDraw:       false, // Is the tiledImage currently updating the viewport?
+        _needsDraw:     true,  // Does the tiledImage need to update the viewport again?
 
         //configurable settings
-        springStiffness:    $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.springStiffness,
-        animationTime:      $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.animationTime,
-        minZoomImageRatio:  $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.minZoomImageRatio,
-        wrapHorizontal:     $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.wrapHorizontal,
-        wrapVertical:       $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.wrapVertical,
-        immediateRender:    $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.immediateRender,
-        blendTime:          $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.blendTime,
-        alwaysBlend:        $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.alwaysBlend,
-        minPixelRatio:      $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.minPixelRatio,
-        debugMode:          $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.debugMode,
-        crossOriginPolicy:  $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.crossOriginPolicy
+        springStiffness:      $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.springStiffness,
+        animationTime:        $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.animationTime,
+        minZoomImageRatio:    $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.minZoomImageRatio,
+        wrapHorizontal:       $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.wrapHorizontal,
+        wrapVertical:         $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.wrapVertical,
+        immediateRender:      $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.immediateRender,
+        blendTime:            $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.blendTime,
+        alwaysBlend:          $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.alwaysBlend,
+        minPixelRatio:        $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.minPixelRatio,
+        debugMode:            $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.debugMode,
+        crossOriginPolicy:    $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.crossOriginPolicy,
+        placeholderFillStyle: $.DEFAULT_SETTINGS.placeholderFillStyle
 
     }, options );
 
@@ -1148,7 +1150,7 @@ function compareTiles( previousBest, tile ) {
     return previousBest;
 }
 
-function drawTiles( tiledImage, lastDrawn ){
+function drawTiles( tiledImage, lastDrawn ) {
     var i,
         tile,
         tileKey,
@@ -1180,11 +1182,11 @@ function drawTiles( tiledImage, lastDrawn ){
         needsRestore = true;
     }
 
-    if ( lastDrawn.length === 0 ) {
+    if ( tiledImage.placeholderFillStyle && lastDrawn.length === 0 ) {
         tiledImage._drawer.saveContext();
         var placeholderRect = boxToDrawerRectangle( tiledImage.getBounds(true) );
 
-        tiledImage._drawer.drawPlaceholder(placeholderRect);
+        tiledImage._drawer.drawPlaceholder(placeholderRect, tiledImage.placeholderFillStyle);
         needsRestore = true;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/viewer.js b/src/viewer.js
index 7b269350..562b50b2 100644
--- a/src/viewer.js
+++ b/src/viewer.js
@@ -1294,7 +1294,8 @@ $.extend( $.Viewer.prototype, $.EventSource.prototype, $.ControlDock.prototype,
                     alwaysBlend: _this.alwaysBlend,
                     minPixelRatio: _this.minPixelRatio,
                     crossOriginPolicy: _this.crossOriginPolicy,
-                    debugMode: _this.debugMode
+                    debugMode: _this.debugMode,
+                    placeholderFillStyle: _this.placeholderFillStyle
                 });
 
                 _this.world.addItem( tiledImage, {