diff --git a/include/wx/dcgraph.h b/include/wx/dcgraph.h
index c29ab57876..fd413d0835 100644
--- a/include/wx/dcgraph.h
+++ b/include/wx/dcgraph.h
@@ -242,6 +242,10 @@ private:
     // is assumed to be newly created.
     void Init(wxGraphicsContext*);
 
+    // This method initializes m_graphicContext, m_ok and m_matrixOriginal
+    // fields, returns true if the context was valid.
+    bool DoInitContext(wxGraphicsContext* ctx);
+
     wxDECLARE_CLASS(wxGCDCImpl);
     wxDECLARE_NO_COPY_CLASS(wxGCDCImpl);
 };
diff --git a/src/common/dcgraph.cpp b/src/common/dcgraph.cpp
index 88cf61c3e0..e0baafa06d 100644
--- a/src/common/dcgraph.cpp
+++ b/src/common/dcgraph.cpp
@@ -126,8 +126,7 @@ wxGCDCImpl::wxGCDCImpl(wxDC *owner, wxGraphicsContext* context) :
 {
     CommonInit();
 
-    m_graphicContext = context;
-    m_ok = m_graphicContext != NULL;
+    DoInitContext(context);
 
     // We can't currently initialize m_font, m_pen and m_brush here as we don't
     // have any way of converting the corresponding wxGraphicsXXX objects to
@@ -146,13 +145,10 @@ wxGCDCImpl::wxGCDCImpl( wxDC *owner ) :
 void wxGCDCImpl::SetGraphicsContext( wxGraphicsContext* ctx )
 {
     delete m_graphicContext;
-    m_graphicContext = ctx;
-    if ( m_graphicContext )
+
+    if ( DoInitContext(ctx) )
     {
-        m_matrixOriginal = m_graphicContext->GetTransform();
-        m_ok = true;
-        // apply the stored transformations to the passed in context
-        ComputeScaleAndOrigin();
+        // Reapply our attributes to the context.
         m_graphicContext->SetFont( m_font , m_textForegroundColour );
         m_graphicContext->SetPen( m_pen );
         m_graphicContext->SetBrush( m_brush);
@@ -220,6 +216,21 @@ void wxGCDCImpl::Init(wxGraphicsContext* ctx)
         SetGraphicsContext(ctx);
 }
 
+bool wxGCDCImpl::DoInitContext(wxGraphicsContext* ctx)
+{
+    m_graphicContext = ctx;
+    m_ok = m_graphicContext != NULL;
+
+    if ( m_ok )
+    {
+        // apply the stored transformations to the passed in context
+        m_matrixOriginal = m_graphicContext->GetTransform();
+        ComputeScaleAndOrigin();
+    }
+
+    return m_ok;
+}
+
 wxGCDCImpl::~wxGCDCImpl()
 {
     delete m_graphicContext;