diff --git a/include/wx/generic/panelg.h b/include/wx/generic/panelg.h
index 4aa4c8c988..ca552db5fb 100644
--- a/include/wx/generic/panelg.h
+++ b/include/wx/generic/panelg.h
@@ -77,17 +77,10 @@ public:
 #endif
 
 #ifdef __WXMSW__
-    // This is a hack to support inheriting of background through child
-    // wxPanel: at least wxNotebook needs this under wxMSW as its background
-    // should apply to its children which are usually wxPanels which normally
-    // don't have a transparent background. Calling this function allows to
-    // change this for the panels which are used as notebook pages.
-    void MSWSetTransparentBackground(bool isTransparent = true)
-    {
-        m_isTransparent = isTransparent;
-    }
-
-    virtual bool HasTransparentBackground() { return m_isTransparent; }
+    // This is overridden for MSW to return true for all panels that are child
+    // of a window with themed background (such as wxNotebook) which should
+    // show through the child panels.
+    virtual bool HasTransparentBackground();
 #endif // __WXMSW__
 
     WX_DECLARE_CONTROL_CONTAINER();
@@ -100,10 +93,6 @@ protected:
     virtual wxBorder GetDefaultBorder() const { return wxWindowBase::GetDefaultBorder(); }
 
 private:
-#ifdef __WXMSW__
-    bool m_isTransparent;
-#endif // __WXMSW__
-
     DECLARE_DYNAMIC_CLASS_NO_COPY(wxPanel)
     DECLARE_EVENT_TABLE()
 };
diff --git a/include/wx/msw/notebook.h b/include/wx/msw/notebook.h
index 2dfa4337e8..30fe5c6780 100644
--- a/include/wx/msw/notebook.h
+++ b/include/wx/msw/notebook.h
@@ -187,6 +187,8 @@ public:
 
   // draw child background
   virtual bool MSWPrintChild(WXHDC hDC, wxWindow *win);
+
+  virtual bool MSWHasInheritableBackground() const { return true; }
 #endif // wxUSE_UXTHEME
 
   // translate wxWin styles to the Windows ones
diff --git a/include/wx/msw/window.h b/include/wx/msw/window.h
index 9557141e5f..d2f9d1be90 100644
--- a/include/wx/msw/window.h
+++ b/include/wx/msw/window.h
@@ -438,6 +438,11 @@ public:
         return true;
     }
 
+    // This should be overridden to return true for the controls which have
+    // themed background that should through their children. Currently only
+    // wxNotebook uses this.
+    virtual bool MSWHasInheritableBackground() const { return false; }
+
 #if !defined(__WXWINCE__) && !defined(__WXUNIVERSAL__)
     #define wxHAS_MSW_BACKGROUND_ERASE_HOOK
 #endif
diff --git a/samples/controls/controls.cpp b/samples/controls/controls.cpp
index 81a62369ba..e95eda9e44 100644
--- a/samples/controls/controls.cpp
+++ b/samples/controls/controls.cpp
@@ -949,9 +949,10 @@ MyPanel::MyPanel( wxFrame *frame, int x, int y, int w, int h )
     dc.DrawText(wxT("Bitmap"), 30, 40);
     dc.SelectObject( wxNullBitmap );
 
-    (void)new wxBitmapButton(panel, ID_BITMAP_BTN, bitmap, wxPoint(100, 20));
-    (void)new wxToggleButton(panel, ID_BITMAP_BTN_ENABLE,
-                             wxT("Enable/disable &bitmap"), wxPoint(100, 140));
+    wxPanel *panel2 = new wxPanel(panel, -1, wxPoint(100, 0), wxSize(100, 200));
+    (void)new wxBitmapButton(panel2, ID_BITMAP_BTN, bitmap, wxPoint(0, 20));
+    (void)new wxToggleButton(panel2, ID_BITMAP_BTN_ENABLE,
+                             wxT("Enable/disable &bitmap"), wxPoint(0, 140));
 
 #if defined(__WXMSW__) || defined(__WXMOTIF__)
     // test for masked bitmap display
diff --git a/src/generic/panelg.cpp b/src/generic/panelg.cpp
index ee4a901a06..32e656f94e 100644
--- a/src/generic/panelg.cpp
+++ b/src/generic/panelg.cpp
@@ -104,10 +104,6 @@ WX_DELEGATE_TO_CONTROL_CONTAINER(wxPanel, wxWindow)
 void wxPanel::Init()
 {
     WX_INIT_CONTROL_CONTAINER();
-
-#ifdef __WXMSW__
-    m_isTransparent = false;
-#endif // __WXMSW__
 }
 
 bool wxPanel::Create(wxWindow *parent, wxWindowID id,
@@ -141,3 +137,20 @@ void wxPanel::InitDialog()
     GetEventHandler()->ProcessEvent(event);
 }
 
+#ifdef __WXMSW__
+
+bool wxPanel::HasTransparentBackground()
+{
+    for ( wxWindow *win = GetParent(); win; win = win->GetParent() )
+    {
+        if ( win->MSWHasInheritableBackground() )
+            return true;
+
+        if ( win->IsTopLevel() )
+            break;
+    }
+
+    return false;
+}
+
+#endif // __WXMSW__
diff --git a/src/msw/notebook.cpp b/src/msw/notebook.cpp
index 1e9a26dbbf..b199c98ab9 100644
--- a/src/msw/notebook.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/notebook.cpp
@@ -819,14 +819,6 @@ bool wxNotebook::InsertPage(size_t nPage,
     // succeeded: save the pointer to the page
     m_pages.Insert(pPage, nPage);
 
-    // also ensure that the notebook background is used for its pages by making
-    // them transparent: this ensures that MSWGetBgBrush() queries the notebook
-    // for the background brush to be used for erasing them
-    if ( wxPanel *panel = wxDynamicCast(pPage, wxPanel) )
-    {
-        panel->MSWSetTransparentBackground();
-    }
-
     // we may need to adjust the size again if the notebook size changed:
     // normally this only happens for the first page we add (the tabs which
     // hadn't been there before are now shown) but for a multiline notebook it