diff --git a/PIL/ImageFont.py b/PIL/ImageFont.py
index 8ec60fef9..271669146 100644
--- a/PIL/ImageFont.py
+++ b/PIL/ImageFont.py
@@ -30,6 +30,11 @@ from __future__ import print_function
 from PIL import Image
 import os, sys
 
+try:
+    import warnings
+except ImportError:
+    warnings = None
+
 class _imagingft_not_installed:
     # module placeholder
     def __getattr__(self, id):
@@ -40,6 +45,13 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     core = _imagingft_not_installed()
 
+if bytes is str:
+    def isStringType(t):
+        return isinstance(t, basestring)
+else:
+    def isStringType(t):
+        return isinstance(t, str)
+
 # FIXME: add support for pilfont2 format (see FontFile.py)
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -129,9 +141,18 @@ class ImageFont:
 class FreeTypeFont:
     "FreeType font wrapper (requires _imagingft service)"
 
-    def __init__(self, file, size, index=0, encoding=""):
+    def __init__(self, font=None, size=10, index=0, encoding="", file=None):
         # FIXME: use service provider instead
-        self.font = core.getfont(file, size, index, encoding)
+        if file:
+            if warnings:
+                warnings.warn('file parameter deprecated, please use font parameter instead.', DeprecationWarning)
+            font = file
+
+        if isStringType(font):
+            self.font = core.getfont(font, size, index, encoding)
+        else:
+            font_bytes = font.read()
+            self.font = core.getfont("", size, index, encoding, font_bytes)
 
     def getname(self):
         return self.font.family, self.font.style
@@ -212,10 +233,16 @@ def load(filename):
 # @return A font object.
 # @exception IOError If the file could not be read.
 
-def truetype(filename, size, index=0, encoding=""):
+def truetype(font=None, size=10, index=0, encoding="", filename=None):
     "Load a truetype font file."
+
+    if filename:
+        if warnings:
+            warnings.warn('filename parameter deprecated, please use font parameter instead.', DeprecationWarning)
+        font = filename
+
     try:
-        return FreeTypeFont(filename, size, index, encoding)
+        return FreeTypeFont(font, size, index, encoding)
     except IOError:
         if sys.platform == "win32":
             # check the windows font repository
@@ -223,8 +250,8 @@ def truetype(filename, size, index=0, encoding=""):
             # 1.5.2's os.environ.get()
             windir = os.environ.get("WINDIR")
             if windir:
-                filename = os.path.join(windir, "fonts", filename)
-                return FreeTypeFont(filename, size, index, encoding)
+                filename = os.path.join(windir, "fonts", font)
+                return FreeTypeFont(font, size, index, encoding)
         raise
 
 ##
diff --git a/Tests/fonts/FreeMono.ttf b/Tests/fonts/FreeMono.ttf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f88bcef9c
Binary files /dev/null and b/Tests/fonts/FreeMono.ttf differ
diff --git a/Tests/test_imagefont.py b/Tests/test_imagefont.py
index 3c4e1f1b8..8305656e2 100644
--- a/Tests/test_imagefont.py
+++ b/Tests/test_imagefont.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 from tester import *
 
 from PIL import Image
+from io import BytesIO
+
 try:
     from PIL import ImageFont
     ImageFont.core.getfont # check if freetype is available
@@ -8,5 +10,21 @@ except ImportError:
     skip()
 
 def test_sanity():
-
     assert_match(ImageFont.core.freetype2_version, "\d+\.\d+\.\d+$")
+
+def test_font_with_name():
+    font_name = "Tests/fonts/FreeMono.ttf"
+    font_size = 10
+    assert_no_exception(lambda: ImageFont.truetype(font_name, font_size))
+
+def test_font_with_filelike():
+    font_name = "Tests/fonts/FreeMono.ttf"
+    font_filelike = BytesIO(open(font_name, 'rb').read())
+    font_size = 10
+    assert_no_exception(lambda: ImageFont.truetype(font_filelike, font_size))
+
+def test_font_old_parameters():
+    font_name = "Tests/fonts/FreeMono.ttf"
+    font_size = 10
+    assert_warning(DeprecationWarning, lambda: ImageFont.truetype(filename=font_name, size=font_size))
+
diff --git a/_imagingft.c b/_imagingft.c
index e29e3a244..9f9dd35c4 100644
--- a/_imagingft.c
+++ b/_imagingft.c
@@ -99,17 +99,20 @@ getfont(PyObject* self_, PyObject* args, PyObject* kw)
     FontObject* self;
     int error;
 
-    char* filename;
+    char* filename = NULL;
     int size;
     int index = 0;
-    unsigned char* encoding = NULL;
+    unsigned char* encoding;
+    unsigned char* file_like;
+    int file_like_size = 0;
     static char* kwlist[] = {
-        "filename", "size", "index", "encoding", NULL
+        "filename", "size", "index", "encoding", "file_like", NULL
     };
 
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "eti|is", kwlist,
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "eti|iss#", kwlist,
                                      Py_FileSystemDefaultEncoding, &filename,
-                                     &size, &index, &encoding))
+                                     &size, &index, &encoding, &file_like,
+                                     &file_like_size))
         return NULL;
 
     if (!library) {
@@ -124,8 +127,12 @@ getfont(PyObject* self_, PyObject* args, PyObject* kw)
     if (!self)
         return NULL;
 
-    error = FT_New_Face(library, filename, index, &self->face);
-
+    if (filename && file_like_size <= 0) {
+        error = FT_New_Face(library, filename, index, &self->face);
+    } else {
+        error = FT_New_Memory_Face(library, (FT_Byte*)file_like, file_like_size, index, &self->face);
+    }
+ 
     if (!error)
         error = FT_Set_Pixel_Sizes(self->face, 0, size);