diff --git a/Tests/test_image.py b/Tests/test_image.py
index c22628509..17f1edb00 100644
--- a/Tests/test_image.py
+++ b/Tests/test_image.py
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ class TestImage:
             "RGBX",
             "RGBA",
             "RGBa",
+            "BGR;15",
+            "BGR;16",
+            "BGR;24",
             "CMYK",
             "YCbCr",
             "LAB",
@@ -57,9 +60,7 @@ class TestImage:
     def test_image_modes_success(self, mode):
         Image.new(mode, (1, 1))
 
-    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
-        "mode", ("", "bad", "very very long", "BGR;15", "BGR;16", "BGR;24")
-    )
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("mode", ("", "bad", "very very long"))
     def test_image_modes_fail(self, mode):
         with pytest.raises(ValueError) as e:
             Image.new(mode, (1, 1))
diff --git a/Tests/test_image_access.py b/Tests/test_image_access.py
index 4079d9358..29eed745e 100644
--- a/Tests/test_image_access.py
+++ b/Tests/test_image_access.py
@@ -363,8 +363,8 @@ class TestCffi(AccessTest):
 
 
 class TestImagePutPixelError(AccessTest):
-    IMAGE_MODES1 = ["L", "LA", "RGB", "RGBA"]
-    IMAGE_MODES2 = ["I", "I;16", "BGR;15"]
+    IMAGE_MODES1 = ["LA", "RGB", "RGBA", "BGR;15"]
+    IMAGE_MODES2 = ["L", "I", "I;16"]
     INVALID_TYPES = ["foo", 1.0, None]
 
     @pytest.mark.parametrize("mode", IMAGE_MODES1)
@@ -379,6 +379,11 @@ class TestImagePutPixelError(AccessTest):
         (
             ("L", (0, 2), "color must be int or single-element tuple"),
             ("LA", (0, 3), "color must be int, or tuple of one or two elements"),
+            (
+                "BGR;15",
+                (0, 2),
+                "color must be int, or tuple of one or three elements",
+            ),
             (
                 "RGB",
                 (0, 2, 5),
@@ -407,11 +412,6 @@ class TestImagePutPixelError(AccessTest):
         with pytest.raises(OverflowError):
             im.putpixel((0, 0), 2**80)
 
-    def test_putpixel_unrecognized_mode(self):
-        im = hopper("BGR;15")
-        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="unrecognized image mode"):
-            im.putpixel((0, 0), 0)
-
 
 class TestEmbeddable:
     @pytest.mark.xfail(reason="failing test")
diff --git a/src/PIL/ImageMode.py b/src/PIL/ImageMode.py
index 8b1506e9b..a0b335142 100644
--- a/src/PIL/ImageMode.py
+++ b/src/PIL/ImageMode.py
@@ -58,9 +58,9 @@ def getmode(mode):
             "HSV": ("RGB", "L", ("H", "S", "V"), "|u1"),
             # extra experimental modes
             "RGBa": ("RGB", "L", ("R", "G", "B", "a"), "|u1"),
-            "BGR;15": ("RGB", "L", ("B", "G", "R"), endian + "u2"),
-            "BGR;16": ("RGB", "L", ("B", "G", "R"), endian + "u2"),
-            "BGR;24": ("RGB", "L", ("B", "G", "R"), endian + "u3"),
+            "BGR;15": ("RGB", "L", ("B", "G", "R"), "|u1"),
+            "BGR;16": ("RGB", "L", ("B", "G", "R"), "|u1"),
+            "BGR;24": ("RGB", "L", ("B", "G", "R"), "|u1"),
             "LA": ("L", "L", ("L", "A"), "|u1"),
             "La": ("L", "L", ("L", "a"), "|u1"),
             "PA": ("RGB", "L", ("P", "A"), "|u1"),
diff --git a/src/_imaging.c b/src/_imaging.c
index e7e403c95..3b17d638e 100644
--- a/src/_imaging.c
+++ b/src/_imaging.c
@@ -517,15 +517,13 @@ getink(PyObject *color, Imaging im, char *ink) {
                 return NULL;
             }
             rIsInt = 1;
-        } else if (im->type == IMAGING_TYPE_UINT8) {
-            if (!PyTuple_Check(color)) {
-                PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "color must be int or tuple");
-                return NULL;
-            }
-        } else {
+        } else if (im->bands == 1) {
             PyErr_SetString(
                 PyExc_TypeError, "color must be int or single-element tuple");
             return NULL;
+        } else if (!PyTuple_Check(color)) {
+            PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "color must be int or tuple");
+            return NULL;
         }
     }
 
@@ -596,6 +594,41 @@ getink(PyObject *color, Imaging im, char *ink) {
                 ink[1] = (UINT8)(r >> 8);
                 ink[2] = ink[3] = 0;
                 return ink;
+            } else {
+                if (rIsInt) {
+                    b = (UINT8)(r >> 16);
+                    g = (UINT8)(r >> 8);
+                    r = (UINT8)r;
+                } else if (tupleSize != 3) {
+                    PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "color must be int, or tuple of one or three elements");
+                    return NULL;
+                } else if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(color, "Lii", &r, &g, &b)) {
+                    return NULL;
+                }
+                if (!strcmp(im->mode, "BGR;15")) {
+                    UINT16 v = ((((UINT16)r) << 7) & 0x7c00) +
+                               ((((UINT16)g) << 2) & 0x03e0) +
+                               ((((UINT16)b) >> 3) & 0x001f);
+
+                    ink[0] = (UINT8)v;
+                    ink[1] = (UINT8)(v >> 8);
+                    ink[2] = ink[3] = 0;
+                    return ink;
+                } else if (!strcmp(im->mode, "BGR;16")) {
+                    UINT16 v = ((((UINT16)r) << 8) & 0xf800) +
+                               ((((UINT16)g) << 3) & 0x07e0) +
+                               ((((UINT16)b) >> 3) & 0x001f);
+                    ink[0] = (UINT8)v;
+                    ink[1] = (UINT8)(v >> 8);
+                    ink[2] = ink[3] = 0;
+                    return ink;
+                } else if (!strcmp(im->mode, "BGR;24")) {
+                    ink[0] = (UINT8)b;
+                    ink[1] = (UINT8)g;
+                    ink[2] = (UINT8)r;
+                    ink[3] = 0;
+                    return ink;
+                }
             }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/libImaging/Storage.c b/src/libImaging/Storage.c
index 7730b4be8..7cf00ef35 100644
--- a/src/libImaging/Storage.c
+++ b/src/libImaging/Storage.c
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ ImagingNewPrologueSubtype(const char *mode, int xsize, int ysize, int size) {
     } else if (strcmp(mode, "BGR;15") == 0) {
         /* EXPERIMENTAL */
         /* 15-bit reversed true colour */
-        im->bands = 1;
+        im->bands = 3;
         im->pixelsize = 2;
         im->linesize = (xsize * 2 + 3) & -4;
         im->type = IMAGING_TYPE_SPECIAL;
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ ImagingNewPrologueSubtype(const char *mode, int xsize, int ysize, int size) {
     } else if (strcmp(mode, "BGR;16") == 0) {
         /* EXPERIMENTAL */
         /* 16-bit reversed true colour */
-        im->bands = 1;
+        im->bands = 3;
         im->pixelsize = 2;
         im->linesize = (xsize * 2 + 3) & -4;
         im->type = IMAGING_TYPE_SPECIAL;
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ ImagingNewPrologueSubtype(const char *mode, int xsize, int ysize, int size) {
     } else if (strcmp(mode, "BGR;24") == 0) {
         /* EXPERIMENTAL */
         /* 24-bit reversed true colour */
-        im->bands = 1;
+        im->bands = 3;
         im->pixelsize = 3;
         im->linesize = (xsize * 3 + 3) & -4;
         im->type = IMAGING_TYPE_SPECIAL;