diff --git a/app/controllers/users_controller.rb b/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
index 0ec8e6296..9e0179ecd 100644
--- a/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ class UsersController < ApplicationController
   require File.join(Rails.root, 'lib/diaspora/exporter')
   require File.join(Rails.root, 'lib/collect_user_photos')
 
-  before_filter :authenticate_user!, :except => [:new, :create, :public]
+  before_filter :authenticate_user!, :except => [:new, :create, :public, :user_photo]
 
   respond_to :html
 
@@ -119,6 +119,16 @@ class UsersController < ApplicationController
     send_data( File.open(tar_path).read, :filename => "#{current_user.id}.tar" )
   end
 
+  def user_photo
+    username = params[:username].split('@')[0]
+    user = User.find_by_username(username)
+    if user.present? 
+      redirect_to user.profile.image_url
+    else
+      render :nothing => true, :status => 404
+    end
+  end
+
   def confirm_email
     if current_user.confirm_email(params[:token])
       flash[:notice] = I18n.t('users.confirm_email.email_confirmed', :email => current_user.email)
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
index 24b2f3e25..f6ff5090c 100644
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ Diaspora::Application.routes.draw do
     delete "tag_followings" => "tag_followings#destroy"
   end
 
+  get '/user_photo/:username' => 'users#user_photo'
+
   # get "tag_followings" => "tag_followings#index", :as => 'tag_followings'
 
   get 'tags/:name' => 'tags#show', :as => 'tag'
diff --git a/spec/controllers/users_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/users_controller_spec.rb
index 551e2a1b2..4f3b48483 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/users_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/users_controller_spec.rb
@@ -26,6 +26,18 @@ describe UsersController do
     end
   end
 
+  describe 'user_photo' do
+    it 'should return the url of the users profile photo' do
+      get :user_photo, :username => @user.username
+      response.should redirect_to(@user.profile.image_url)
+    end
+
+    it 'should 404 if no user is found' do
+      get :user_photo, :username => 'none'
+      response.should_not be_success
+    end 
+  end
+
   describe '#public' do
     it 'renders xml if atom is requested' do
       sm = Factory(:status_message, :public => true, :author => @user.person)