diff --git a/bindings/python/mapnik_polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp b/bindings/python/mapnik_polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp
index cf9009781..99ecb13d5 100644
--- a/bindings/python/mapnik_polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp
+++ b/bindings/python/mapnik_polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp
@@ -62,23 +62,24 @@ struct polygon_pattern_symbolizer_pickle_suite : boost::python::pickle_suite
     static boost::python::tuple
     getstate(const polygon_pattern_symbolizer& p)
     {
-        return boost::python::make_tuple(p.get_alignment());
+        return boost::python::make_tuple(p.get_alignment(),p.get_gamma());
     }
 
     static void
     setstate (polygon_pattern_symbolizer& p, boost::python::tuple state)
     {
         using namespace boost::python;
-        if (len(state) != 1)
+        if (len(state) != 2)
         {
             PyErr_SetObject(PyExc_ValueError,
-                            ("expected 1-item tuple in call to __setstate__; got %s"
+                            ("expected 2-item tuple in call to __setstate__; got %s"
                              % state).ptr()
                 );
             throw_error_already_set();
         }
                 
         p.set_alignment(extract<pattern_alignment_e>(state[0]));
+        p.set_gamma(extract<float>(state[1]));
     }
 
 };
@@ -105,5 +106,8 @@ void export_polygon_pattern_symbolizer()
         .add_property("filename",
                       &get_filename,
                       &set_filename)
+        .add_property("gamma",
+                      &polygon_pattern_symbolizer::get_gamma,
+                      &polygon_pattern_symbolizer::set_gamma)
         ;    
 }
diff --git a/include/mapnik/polygon_pattern_symbolizer.hpp b/include/mapnik/polygon_pattern_symbolizer.hpp
index a8f3d73b6..0c389e36d 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/polygon_pattern_symbolizer.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/polygon_pattern_symbolizer.hpp
@@ -47,9 +47,12 @@ struct MAPNIK_DECL polygon_pattern_symbolizer :
     polygon_pattern_symbolizer(polygon_pattern_symbolizer const& rhs);
     pattern_alignment_e get_alignment() const;
     void set_alignment(pattern_alignment_e align);
+    void set_gamma(double gamma);
+    double get_gamma() const;
 
 private:
     pattern_alignment_e alignment_;
+    double gamma_;
 
 };
 }
diff --git a/src/agg/process_polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp b/src/agg/process_polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp
index f7d73c085..ebd87f621 100644
--- a/src/agg/process_polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp
+++ b/src/agg/process_polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ void agg_renderer<T>::process(polygon_pattern_symbolizer const& sym,
     
     agg::scanline_u8 sl;
     ras_ptr->reset();
-    ras_ptr->gamma(agg::gamma_linear());
+    ras_ptr->gamma(agg::gamma_linear(0.0, sym.get_gamma()));
 
     std::string filename = path_processor_type::evaluate( *sym.get_filename(), feature);
     boost::optional<mapnik::marker_ptr> marker;
@@ -78,8 +78,13 @@ void agg_renderer<T>::process(polygon_pattern_symbolizer const& sym,
     {
         marker = marker_cache::instance()->find(filename, true);
     }
+    else
+    {
+        std::clog << "### Warning: file not found: " << filename << "\n";
+    }
 
     if (!marker || !(*marker)->is_bitmap()) return;
+    
 
     boost::optional<image_ptr> pat = (*marker)->get_bitmap_data();
 
diff --git a/src/load_map.cpp b/src/load_map.cpp
index daf89f2da..d68ebfb25 100644
--- a/src/load_map.cpp
+++ b/src/load_map.cpp
@@ -1139,7 +1139,7 @@ void map_parser::parse_line_pattern_symbolizer( rule & rule, ptree const & sym )
 void map_parser::parse_polygon_pattern_symbolizer( rule & rule,
                                                    ptree const & sym )
 {
-    ensure_attrs(sym, "PolygonPatternSymbolizer", "file,base,alignment,meta-writer,meta-output");
+    ensure_attrs(sym, "PolygonPatternSymbolizer", "file,base,alignment,gamma,meta-writer,meta-output");
     try
     {
         std::string file = get_attr<std::string>(sym, "file");
@@ -1164,6 +1164,10 @@ void map_parser::parse_polygon_pattern_symbolizer( rule & rule,
             pattern_alignment_e p_alignment = get_attr<pattern_alignment_e>(sym, "alignment",LOCAL_ALIGNMENT);
             symbol.set_alignment(p_alignment);
 
+            // gamma
+            optional<double> gamma = get_opt_attr<double>(sym, "gamma");
+            if (gamma)  symbol.set_gamma(*gamma);
+
             parse_metawriter_in_symbolizer(symbol, sym);
             rule.append(symbol);
         }
diff --git a/src/polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp b/src/polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp
index 6af6506e8..4519670b6 100644
--- a/src/polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp
+++ b/src/polygon_pattern_symbolizer.cpp
@@ -37,11 +37,13 @@ IMPLEMENT_ENUM( pattern_alignment_e, pattern_alignment_strings )
       
 polygon_pattern_symbolizer::polygon_pattern_symbolizer(path_expression_ptr file)                                                         
     : symbolizer_with_image(file), symbolizer_base(),
-      alignment_(LOCAL_ALIGNMENT) {}
+      alignment_(LOCAL_ALIGNMENT),
+      gamma_(1.0) {}
 
 polygon_pattern_symbolizer::polygon_pattern_symbolizer(polygon_pattern_symbolizer const& rhs)
     : symbolizer_with_image(rhs), symbolizer_base(rhs),
-      alignment_(rhs.alignment_) {}
+      alignment_(rhs.alignment_),
+      gamma_(rhs.gamma_) {}
 
 pattern_alignment_e polygon_pattern_symbolizer::get_alignment() const
 {
@@ -53,5 +55,15 @@ void polygon_pattern_symbolizer::set_alignment(pattern_alignment_e align)
     alignment_ = align;
 }
 
+double polygon_pattern_symbolizer::get_gamma() const
+{
+    return gamma_;
+}
+
+void polygon_pattern_symbolizer::set_gamma(double gamma)
+{
+    gamma_ = gamma;
+}
+
 }
 
diff --git a/src/save_map.cpp b/src/save_map.cpp
index 8800514c6..0534fd2a0 100644
--- a/src/save_map.cpp
+++ b/src/save_map.cpp
@@ -127,6 +127,11 @@ public:
             set_attr( sym_node, "alignment", sym.get_alignment() );
         }
 
+        if ( sym.get_gamma() != dfl.get_gamma() || explicit_defaults_ )
+        {
+            set_attr( sym_node, "gamma", sym.get_gamma() );
+        }
+
         add_image_attributes( sym_node, sym );
         add_metawriter_attributes(sym_node, sym);
     }