diff --git a/include/wx/msw/font.h b/include/wx/msw/font.h
index a121282f89..05edfdf958 100644
--- a/include/wx/msw/font.h
+++ b/include/wx/msw/font.h
@@ -110,10 +110,6 @@ public:
 
     virtual ~wxFont();
 
-    // wxFontBase overridden functions
-    virtual wxString GetNativeFontInfoDesc() const;
-    virtual wxString GetNativeFontInfoUserDesc() const;
-
     // implement base class pure virtuals
     virtual int GetPointSize() const;
     virtual wxSize GetPixelSize() const;
diff --git a/interface/wx/font.h b/interface/wx/font.h
index f702fdb665..a4283059b0 100644
--- a/interface/wx/font.h
+++ b/interface/wx/font.h
@@ -442,7 +442,9 @@ public:
 
     /**
         Returns the platform-dependent string completely describing this font.
-        Returned string is always non-empty.
+
+        Returned string is always non-empty unless the font is invalid (in
+        which case an assert is triggered).
 
         Note that the returned string is not meant to be shown or edited by the user: a
         typical use of this function is for serializing in string-form a wxFont object.
@@ -453,7 +455,9 @@ public:
 
     /**
         Returns a user-friendly string for this font object.
-        Returned string is always non-empty.
+
+        Returned string is always non-empty unless the font is invalid (in
+        which case an assert is triggered).
 
         The string does not encode all wxFont infos under all platforms;
         e.g. under wxMSW the font family is not present in the returned string.
diff --git a/src/common/fontcmn.cpp b/src/common/fontcmn.cpp
index 0725335a58..a59e671c5b 100644
--- a/src/common/fontcmn.cpp
+++ b/src/common/fontcmn.cpp
@@ -284,6 +284,8 @@ void wxFontBase::DoSetNativeFontInfo(const wxNativeFontInfo& info)
 
 wxString wxFontBase::GetNativeFontInfoDesc() const
 {
+    wxCHECK_MSG( IsOk(), wxEmptyString, wxT("invalid font") );
+
     wxString fontDesc;
     const wxNativeFontInfo *fontInfo = GetNativeFontInfo();
     if ( fontInfo )
@@ -301,6 +303,8 @@ wxString wxFontBase::GetNativeFontInfoDesc() const
 
 wxString wxFontBase::GetNativeFontInfoUserDesc() const
 {
+    wxCHECK_MSG( IsOk(), wxEmptyString, wxT("invalid font") );
+
     wxString fontDesc;
     const wxNativeFontInfo *fontInfo = GetNativeFontInfo();
     if ( fontInfo )
diff --git a/src/msw/font.cpp b/src/msw/font.cpp
index f22d5aefdf..832ce661a8 100644
--- a/src/msw/font.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/font.cpp
@@ -213,8 +213,7 @@ public:
 
     WXHFONT GetHFONT() const
     {
-        if ( !m_hFont )
-            const_cast<wxFontRefData *>(this)->Alloc();
+        AllocIfNeeded();
 
         return (WXHFONT)m_hFont;
     }
@@ -290,6 +289,10 @@ public:
 
     const wxNativeFontInfo& GetNativeFontInfo() const
     {
+        // we need to create the font now to get the corresponding LOGFONT if
+        // it hadn't been done yet
+        AllocIfNeeded();
+
         // ensure that we have a valid face name in our font information:
         // GetFaceName() will try to retrieve it from our HFONT and save it if
         // it was successful
@@ -319,6 +322,12 @@ protected:
 
     void Init(const wxNativeFontInfo& info, WXHFONT hFont = 0);
 
+    void AllocIfNeeded() const
+    {
+        if ( !m_hFont )
+            const_cast<wxFontRefData *>(this)->Alloc();
+    }
+
     // retrieve the face name really being used by the font: this is used to
     // get the face name selected by the system when we don't specify it (but
     // use just the family for example)
@@ -1055,24 +1064,6 @@ const wxNativeFontInfo *wxFont::GetNativeFontInfo() const
     return IsOk() ? &(M_FONTDATA->GetNativeFontInfo()) : NULL;
 }
 
-wxString wxFont::GetNativeFontInfoDesc() const
-{
-    wxCHECK_MSG( IsOk(), wxEmptyString, wxT("invalid font") );
-
-    // be sure we have an HFONT associated...
-    const_cast<wxFont*>(this)->RealizeResource();
-    return wxFontBase::GetNativeFontInfoDesc();
-}
-
-wxString wxFont::GetNativeFontInfoUserDesc() const
-{
-    wxCHECK_MSG( IsOk(), wxEmptyString, wxT("invalid font") );
-
-    // be sure we have an HFONT associated...
-    const_cast<wxFont*>(this)->RealizeResource();
-    return wxFontBase::GetNativeFontInfoUserDesc();
-}
-
 bool wxFont::IsFixedWidth() const
 {
     wxCHECK_MSG( IsOk(), false, wxT("invalid font") );