diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index da38ebb..8fac24e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "react-gallery-carousel",
-  "version": "0.3.0",
+  "version": "0.4.0",
   "description": "Mobile-friendly Carousel with batteries included (supporting touch, mouse emulation, lazy loading, thumbnails, fullscreen, RTL, keyboard navigation and customisations).",
   "author": "yifaneye",
   "license": "MIT",
diff --git a/src/components/Carousel/Carousel.js b/src/components/Carousel/Carousel.js
index da42737..374b404 100644
--- a/src/components/Carousel/Carousel.js
+++ b/src/components/Carousel/Carousel.js
@@ -406,6 +406,20 @@ const GalleryCarousel = (props, ref) => {
     isMaximized
   );
 
+  /* check whether fallback image (if specified) returns an ok status */
+  const [fallbackImg, setFallbackImg] = useState(null);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    fetch(props.fallbackImg)
+      .then((res) => {
+        if (res.ok) {
+          setFallbackImg(props.fallbackImg);
+        }
+      })
+      .catch((_reason) => {
+        setFallbackImg(null);
+      });
+  });
+
   const leftButton = widgetSettings.hasLeftButton && (
     <LeftButton
       position={widgetSettings.hasLeftButton}
@@ -483,6 +497,7 @@ const GalleryCarousel = (props, ref) => {
       shouldLazyLoad={props.shouldLazyLoad}
       curIndex={slides.curIndex}
       callbacks={goToIndexCallbacksObject}
+      fallbackImg={fallbackImg}
     />
   );
 
@@ -564,6 +579,7 @@ const GalleryCarousel = (props, ref) => {
               widgetsHasShadow={props.widgetsHasShadow}
               hasCaptions={settings.hasCaptions}
               curIndex={slides.curIndex}
+              fallbackImg={fallbackImg}
             />
           </div>
           {widgets}
diff --git a/src/components/Carousel/props.js b/src/components/Carousel/props.js
index 78c38a8..91be847 100644
--- a/src/components/Carousel/props.js
+++ b/src/components/Carousel/props.js
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ export const propTypes = {
   hasDotButtonsAtMax: largeWidgetPositions,
   hasCaptionsAtMax: largeWidgetPositions,
   hasThumbnailsAtMax: PropTypes.bool,
+  fallbackImg: PropTypes.string,
   leftIcon: PropTypes.node,
   rightIcon: PropTypes.node,
   playIcon: PropTypes.node,
diff --git a/src/components/Image/Image.js b/src/components/Image/Image.js
index f5b1c69..d614efa 100644
--- a/src/components/Image/Image.js
+++ b/src/components/Image/Image.js
@@ -39,9 +39,13 @@ const LazyLoadedImage = (props) => {
 
   let { src, srcset, alt, thumbnail, ...otherImageProps } = props.image;
 
-  src = isInViewport && !hasError ? src : PLACEHOLDER_IMAGE;
+  src =
+    isInViewport && !hasError ? src : props.fallbackImg ?? PLACEHOLDER_IMAGE;
   srcset = isInViewport && !hasError ? srcset : null;
-  thumbnail = isInViewport && !hasError ? thumbnail : PLACEHOLDER_IMAGE;
+  thumbnail =
+    isInViewport && !hasError
+      ? thumbnail
+      : props.fallbackImg ?? PLACEHOLDER_IMAGE;
 
   return (
     <>
@@ -81,11 +85,16 @@ export const Image = (props) => {
 
   const { src, alt, srcset, thumbnail, ...otherImageProps } = props.image;
 
+  const handleError = (event) => {
+    event.target.src = props.fallbackImg ?? PLACEHOLDER_IMAGE;
+  };
+
   const image = props.shouldLazyLoad ? (
     <LazyLoadedImage
       slidesContainerRef={props.slidesContainerRef}
       image={props.image}
       style={style}
+      fallbackImg={props.fallbackImg}
     />
   ) : (
     <img
@@ -120,5 +129,6 @@ Image.propTypes = {
   shouldLazyLoad: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
   slidesContainerRef: elementRef.isRequired,
   hasCaption: largeWidgetPositions.isRequired,
-  widgetsHasShadow: PropTypes.bool.isRequired
+  widgetsHasShadow: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
+  fallbackImg: PropTypes.string
 };
diff --git a/src/components/Image/ImageThumbnail.js b/src/components/Image/ImageThumbnail.js
index 8fcb56e..79147db 100644
--- a/src/components/Image/ImageThumbnail.js
+++ b/src/components/Image/ImageThumbnail.js
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ import useIntersectionObserver from '../../utils/useIntersectionObserver';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import { elementRef, imageObject } from '../../utils/validators';
 
-const handleError = (event) => {
+const handleError = (event, fallbackImg) => {
   // permanently replace the image with the fallback image
-  event.target.src = PLACEHOLDER_IMAGE;
+  event.target.src = fallbackImg ?? PLACEHOLDER_IMAGE;
 };
 
 const LazyLoadedImageThumbnail = (props) => {
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ const LazyLoadedImageThumbnail = (props) => {
       src={src}
       alt={props.alt}
       aria-label={props.alt}
-      onError={handleError}
+      onError={(event) => handleError(event, props.fallbackImg)}
     />
   );
 };
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ const LazyLoadedImageThumbnail = (props) => {
 LazyLoadedImageThumbnail.propTypes = {
   thumbnailsContainerRef: elementRef.isRequired,
   src: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
-  alt: PropTypes.string
+  alt: PropTypes.string,
+  fallbackImg: PropTypes.string
 };
 
 export const ImageThumbnail = (props) => {
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@ export const ImageThumbnail = (props) => {
         thumbnailsContainerRef={props.thumbnailsContainerRef}
         src={src}
         alt={alt}
+        fallbackImg={props.fallbackImg}
       />
     );
 
@@ -62,7 +64,7 @@ export const ImageThumbnail = (props) => {
       alt={alt}
       aria-label={alt}
       loading='auto'
-      onError={handleError}
+      onError={(event) => handleError(event, props.fallbackImg)}
     />
   );
 };
@@ -70,5 +72,6 @@ export const ImageThumbnail = (props) => {
 ImageThumbnail.propTypes = {
   image: imageObject.isRequired,
   shouldLazyLoad: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
-  thumbnailsContainerRef: elementRef.isRequired
+  thumbnailsContainerRef: elementRef.isRequired,
+  fallbackImg: PropTypes.string
 };
diff --git a/src/components/Slide/Slide.js b/src/components/Slide/Slide.js
index 9ff3ef2..69b683d 100644
--- a/src/components/Slide/Slide.js
+++ b/src/components/Slide/Slide.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export const Slide = (props) => {
       widgetsHasShadow={props.widgetsHasShadow}
       hasCaption={props.hasCaption}
       slidesContainerRef={props.slidesContainerRef}
+      fallbackImg={props.fallbackImg}
     />
   ) : (
     <UserSlide slide={props.slide} />
@@ -44,5 +45,6 @@ Slide.propTypes = {
   hasCaption: largeWidgetPositions.isRequired,
   slidesContainerRef: elementRef.isRequired,
   reference: elementRef,
-  isCurrent: PropTypes.bool.isRequired
+  isCurrent: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
+  fallbackImg: PropTypes.string
 };
diff --git a/src/components/Slides/Slides.js b/src/components/Slides/Slides.js
index c56c051..8eab763 100644
--- a/src/components/Slides/Slides.js
+++ b/src/components/Slides/Slides.js
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ export const Slides = (props) => {
             widgetsHasShadow={props.widgetsHasShadow}
             hasCaption={props.hasCaptions}
             isCurrent={index === props.curIndex}
+            fallbackImg={props.fallbackImg}
           />
         );
       })}
@@ -58,5 +59,6 @@ Slides.propTypes = {
   objectFit: objectFitStyles.isRequired,
   widgetsHasShadow: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
   hasCaptions: largeWidgetPositions.isRequired,
-  curIndex: PropTypes.number
+  curIndex: PropTypes.number,
+  fallbackImg: PropTypes.string
 };
diff --git a/src/components/Thumbnail/Thumbnail.js b/src/components/Thumbnail/Thumbnail.js
index 7daeda5..1b77ab4 100644
--- a/src/components/Thumbnail/Thumbnail.js
+++ b/src/components/Thumbnail/Thumbnail.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export const Thumbnail = (props) => {
       thumbnailsContainerRef={props.thumbnailsContainerRef}
       image={props.slide}
       shouldLazyLoad={props.shouldLazyLoad}
+      fallbackImg={props.fallbackImg}
     />
   ) : (
     <UserSlideThumbnail slide={props.thumbnail} />
@@ -63,5 +64,6 @@ Thumbnail.propTypes = {
   isCurrent: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
   width: PropTypes.string,
   reference: elementRef.isRequired,
-  onClick: PropTypes.func.isRequired
+  onClick: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+  fallbackImg: PropTypes.string
 };
diff --git a/src/components/Thumbnails/Thumbnails.js b/src/components/Thumbnails/Thumbnails.js
index 5d415ca..3a6450a 100644
--- a/src/components/Thumbnails/Thumbnails.js
+++ b/src/components/Thumbnails/Thumbnails.js
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ export const Thumbnails = (props) => {
               isCurrent={Number(key) === props.curIndex}
               width={props.width}
               onClick={callbacks[key]}
+              fallbackImg={props.fallbackImg}
             />
           );
         })}
@@ -61,7 +62,8 @@ Thumbnails.propTypes = {
   thumbnails: PropTypes.array.isRequired,
   hasImages: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
   shouldLazyLoad: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
-  curIndex: PropTypes.number.isRequired
+  curIndex: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
+  fallbackImg: PropTypes.string
 };
 
 Thumbnails.defaultProps = {