diff --git a/addons/im_livechat/static/src/js/models/website_livechat_message.js b/addons/im_livechat/static/src/js/models/website_livechat_message.js
index 7ec9e4bc5a0..17634e11d2f 100644
--- a/addons/im_livechat/static/src/js/models/website_livechat_message.js
+++ b/addons/im_livechat/static/src/js/models/website_livechat_message.js
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ var WebsiteLivechatMessage =  AbstractMessage.extend({
     getAvatarSource: function () {
         var source = this._serverURL;
         if (this.hasAuthor()) {
-            source += '/web/image/res.partner/' + this.getAuthorID() + '/image_small?placeholder=user_placeholder.jpg';
+            source += '/web/partner_image/' + this.getAuthorID();
         } else {
             source += '/mail/static/src/img/smiley/avatar.jpg';
         }
diff --git a/addons/web/controllers/main.py b/addons/web/controllers/main.py
index 14a73720340..e5384c9b167 100644
--- a/addons/web/controllers/main.py
+++ b/addons/web/controllers/main.py
@@ -1003,6 +1003,15 @@ class Binary(http.Controller):
             response.set_cookie('fileToken', token)
         return response
 
+    @http.route(['/web/partner_image',
+        '/web/partner_image/<int:rec_id>',
+        '/web/partner_image/<int:rec_id>/<string:field>',
+        '/web/partner_image/<int:rec_id>/<string:field>/<string:model>/'], type='http', auth="public")
+    def content_image_partner(self, rec_id, field='image_small', model='res.partner', **kwargs):
+        # other kwargs are ignored on purpose
+        return self._content_image(id=rec_id, model='res.partner', field=field,
+            placeholder='user_placeholder.jpg')
+
     @http.route(['/web/image',
         '/web/image/<string:xmlid>',
         '/web/image/<string:xmlid>/<string:filename>',
@@ -1023,7 +1032,17 @@ class Binary(http.Controller):
     def content_image(self, xmlid=None, model='ir.attachment', id=None, field='datas',
                       filename_field='datas_fname', unique=None, filename=None, mimetype=None,
                       download=None, width=0, height=0, crop=False, access_token=None, avoid_if_small=False,
-                      upper_limit=False, placeholder='placeholder.png', **kw):
+                      upper_limit=False, **kwargs):
+        # other kwargs are ignored on purpose
+        return self._content_image(xmlid=xmlid, model=model, id=id, field=field,
+            filename_field=filename_field, unique=unique, filename=filename, mimetype=mimetype,
+            download=download, width=width, height=height, crop=crop, access_token=access_token,
+            avoid_if_small=avoid_if_small, upper_limit=upper_limit)
+
+    def _content_image(self, xmlid=None, model='ir.attachment', id=None, field='datas',
+                       filename_field='datas_fname', unique=None, filename=None, mimetype=None,
+                       download=None, width=0, height=0, crop=False, access_token=None, avoid_if_small=False,
+                       upper_limit=False, placeholder='placeholder.png', **kwargs):
         status, headers, content = request.env['ir.http'].binary_content(
             xmlid=xmlid, model=model, id=id, field=field, unique=unique, filename=filename,
             filename_field=filename_field, download=download, mimetype=mimetype,