diff --git a/include/wx/msw/notebook.h b/include/wx/msw/notebook.h
index 969e732145..2dfa4337e8 100644
--- a/include/wx/msw/notebook.h
+++ b/include/wx/msw/notebook.h
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ public:
   }
 
   // return the themed brush for painting our children
-  virtual WXHBRUSH MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC hDC, WXHWND hWnd);
+  virtual WXHBRUSH MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC hDC, wxWindow *child);
 
   // draw child background
   virtual bool MSWPrintChild(WXHDC hDC, wxWindow *win);
diff --git a/include/wx/msw/window.h b/include/wx/msw/window.h
index c1c4e3555b..c4670e7336 100644
--- a/include/wx/msw/window.h
+++ b/include/wx/msw/window.h
@@ -399,17 +399,19 @@ public:
     // background or 0 if this window doesn't impose any particular background
     // on its children
     //
+    // the hDC parameter is the DC background will be drawn on, it can be used
+    // to call SetBrushOrgEx() on it if the returned brush is a bitmap one
+    //
+    // child parameter is never NULL
+    //
     // the base class version returns a solid brush if we have a non default
     // background colour or 0 otherwise
-    virtual WXHBRUSH MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC hDC, WXHWND hWnd);
+    virtual WXHBRUSH MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC hDC, wxWindowMSW *child);
 
     // return the background brush to use for painting the given window by
     // quering the parent windows via their MSWGetBgBrushForChild() recursively
-    //
-    // hWndToPaint is normally NULL meaning this window itself, but it can also
-    // be a child of this window which is used by the static box and could be
-    // potentially useful for other transparent controls
-    WXHBRUSH MSWGetBgBrush(WXHDC hDC, WXHWND hWndToPaint = NULL);
+    WXHBRUSH MSWGetBgBrush(WXHDC hDC) { return MSWGetBgBrush(hDC, this); }
+    WXHBRUSH MSWGetBgBrush(WXHDC hDC, wxWindowMSW *child);
 
     // gives the parent the possibility to draw its children background, e.g.
     // this is used by wxNotebook to do it using DrawThemeBackground()
diff --git a/src/msw/control.cpp b/src/msw/control.cpp
index c573e4a29a..1cc9dce77e 100644
--- a/src/msw/control.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/control.cpp
@@ -367,7 +367,8 @@ WXHBRUSH wxControl::DoMSWControlColor(WXHDC pDC, wxColour colBg, WXHWND hWnd)
     WXHBRUSH hbr = 0;
     if ( !colBg.Ok() )
     {
-        hbr = MSWGetBgBrush(pDC, hWnd);
+        if ( wxWindow *win = wxFindWinFromHandle(hWnd) )
+            hbr = MSWGetBgBrush(pDC, win);
 
         // if the control doesn't have any bg colour, foreground colour will be
         // ignored as the return value would be 0 -- so forcefully give it a
diff --git a/src/msw/notebook.cpp b/src/msw/notebook.cpp
index 82304be269..831680858f 100644
--- a/src/msw/notebook.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/notebook.cpp
@@ -1248,14 +1248,14 @@ void wxNotebook::UpdateBgBrush()
     }
 }
 
-WXHBRUSH wxNotebook::MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC hDC, WXHWND hWnd)
+WXHBRUSH wxNotebook::MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC hDC, wxWindow *child)
 {
     if ( m_hbrBackground )
     {
         // before drawing with the background brush, we need to position it
         // correctly
         RECT rc;
-        ::GetWindowRect((HWND)hWnd, &rc);
+        ::GetWindowRect(GetHwndOf(child), &rc);
 
         ::MapWindowPoints(NULL, GetHwnd(), (POINT *)&rc, 1);
 
@@ -1267,7 +1267,7 @@ WXHBRUSH wxNotebook::MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC hDC, WXHWND hWnd)
         return m_hbrBackground;
     }
 
-    return wxNotebookBase::MSWGetBgBrushForChild(hDC, hWnd);
+    return wxNotebookBase::MSWGetBgBrushForChild(hDC, child);
 }
 
 bool wxNotebook::MSWPrintChild(WXHDC hDC, wxWindow *child)
diff --git a/src/msw/statbox.cpp b/src/msw/statbox.cpp
index 18abded044..0a5b78abd2 100644
--- a/src/msw/statbox.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/statbox.cpp
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ void wxStaticBox::PaintBackground(wxDC& dc, const RECT& rc)
     //     see http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=4252E932.3080801%40able.es
     wxWindow *parent = GetParent();
     wxMSWDCImpl *impl = (wxMSWDCImpl*) dc.GetImpl();
-    HBRUSH hbr = (HBRUSH)parent->MSWGetBgBrush(impl->GetHDC(), GetHWND());
+    HBRUSH hbr = (HBRUSH)parent->MSWGetBgBrush(impl->GetHDC(), this);
 
     // if there is no special brush for painting this control, just use the
     // solid background colour
diff --git a/src/msw/window.cpp b/src/msw/window.cpp
index be4d7d01d2..c95309f8aa 100644
--- a/src/msw/window.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/window.cpp
@@ -4816,7 +4816,7 @@ bool wxWindowMSW::DoEraseBackground(WXHDC hDC)
 }
 
 WXHBRUSH
-wxWindowMSW::MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC WXUNUSED(hDC), WXHWND hWnd)
+wxWindowMSW::MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC WXUNUSED(hDC), wxWindowMSW *child)
 {
     if ( m_hasBgCol )
     {
@@ -4828,11 +4828,10 @@ wxWindowMSW::MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC WXUNUSED(hDC), WXHWND hWnd)
         //     children because it would look wrong if a child of non
         //     transparent child would show our bg colour when the child itself
         //     does not
-        wxWindow *win = wxFindWinFromHandle(hWnd);
-        if ( win == this ||
+        if ( child == this ||
                 m_inheritBgCol ||
-                    (win && win->HasTransparentBackground() &&
-                        win->GetParent() == this) )
+                    (child->HasTransparentBackground() &&
+                        child->GetParent() == this) )
         {
             // draw children with the same colour as the parent
             wxBrush *
@@ -4845,14 +4844,11 @@ wxWindowMSW::MSWGetBgBrushForChild(WXHDC WXUNUSED(hDC), WXHWND hWnd)
     return 0;
 }
 
-WXHBRUSH wxWindowMSW::MSWGetBgBrush(WXHDC hDC, WXHWND hWndToPaint)
+WXHBRUSH wxWindowMSW::MSWGetBgBrush(WXHDC hDC, wxWindowMSW *child)
 {
-    if ( !hWndToPaint )
-        hWndToPaint = GetHWND();
-
     for ( wxWindowMSW *win = this; win; win = win->GetParent() )
     {
-        WXHBRUSH hBrush = win->MSWGetBgBrushForChild(hDC, hWndToPaint);
+        WXHBRUSH hBrush = win->MSWGetBgBrushForChild(hDC, child);
         if ( hBrush )
             return hBrush;