diff --git a/depends/alpine_Dockerfile b/depends/alpine_Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1ab624690
--- /dev/null
+++ b/depends/alpine_Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# This is a sample Dockerfile to build Pillow on Alpine Linux
+# with all/most of the dependencies working.
+#
+# Tcl/Tk isn't detecting
+# Freetype has different metrics so tests are failing. 
+# sudo and bash are required for the webp build script. 
+
+FROM alpine
+USER root
+
+RUN apk --no-cache add python \
+                       build-base \
+                       python-dev \
+                       py-pip \
+                       # Pillow depenencies
+                       jpeg-dev \
+                       zlib-dev \
+                       freetype-dev \
+                       lcms2-dev \
+                       openjpeg-dev \
+                       tiff-dev \
+                       tk-dev \
+                       tcl-dev
+
+# install from pip, without webp
+#RUN LIBRARY_PATH=/lib:/usr/lib /bin/sh -c "pip install Pillow"
+
+# install from git, run tests, including webp
+RUN apk --no-cache add git \
+				   	   bash \
+					   sudo	
+					   
+RUN git clone https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow.git /Pillow
+RUN pip install virtualenv && virtualenv /vpy && source /vpy/bin/activate && pip install nose
+
+RUN echo "#!/bin/bash" >> /test && \
+    echo "source /vpy/bin/activate && cd /Pillow " >> test && \
+	echo "pushd depends && ./install_webp.sh && ./install_imagequant.sh && popd" >> test && \
+	echo "LIBRARY_PATH=/lib:/usr/lib make install && make test" >> test
+
+RUN chmod +x /test
+
+CMD ["/test"]
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 76e2dfc97..511422e7b 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -405,6 +405,8 @@ class pil_build_ext(build_ext):
 
             _add_directory(library_dirs, "/usr/lib")
             _add_directory(include_dirs, "/usr/include")
+            # alpine, at least
+            _add_directory(library_dirs, "/lib")
 
         # on Windows, look for the OpenJPEG libraries in the location that
         # the official installer puts them
@@ -789,8 +791,11 @@ class pil_build_ext(build_ext):
         if not os.path.exists(self.build_temp):
             os.makedirs(self.build_temp)
         with open(tmpfile, 'wb') as fp:
-            ret = subprocess.call([
-                'dpkg-architecture', '-qDEB_HOST_MULTIARCH'], stdout=fp)
+            try:
+                ret = subprocess.call(['dpkg-architecture',
+                                       '-qDEB_HOST_MULTIARCH'], stdout=fp)
+            except:
+                return
         try:
             if ret >> 8 == 0:
                 fp = open(tmpfile, 'r')