diff --git a/mode-icons.el b/mode-icons.el
index 5dbe49d..8269947 100644
--- a/mode-icons.el
+++ b/mode-icons.el
@@ -455,6 +455,11 @@ This only works with xpm files."
 ACTIVE tells if current window is active."
   (or face (and active 'mode-line) 'mode-line-inactive))
 
+(defun mode-icons-line-height (&optional window)
+  "Gets the height in pixels of WINDOW's mode-line, if accessible.
+This uses `window-mode-line-height' on emacs 24.4+.  Otherwise it assumes 16."
+  (or (and (fboundp 'window-mode-line-height) (window-mode-line-height window)) 16))
+
 (defun mode-icons-get-icon-display (icon type &optional face active)
   "Get the value for the display property of ICON having TYPE.
 
@@ -488,14 +493,14 @@ ACTIVE is an indicator that the current window is active."
                                      t :ascent 'center
                                      :face face
                                      :xpm-bw t
-                                     :height (window-mode-line-height)
+                                     :height (mode-icons-line-height)
                                      :icon icon))
                       ((eq type 'xpm-bw)
                        (create-image icon-path
                                      (or (and (fboundp 'imagemagick-types)
                                               (memq 'png (imagemagick-types)) 'imagemagick)
                                          'xpm)
-                                     :height (window-mode-line-height)
+                                     :height (mode-icons-line-height)
                                      :ascent 'center
                                      :face face
                                      :icon icon))
@@ -507,7 +512,7 @@ ACTIVE is an indicator that the current window is active."
                                               (memq 'png (imagemagick-types)) 'imagemagick)
                                          'xpm) t
                                          :ascent 'center
-                                         :height (window-mode-line-height)
+                                         :height (mode-icons-line-height)
                                          :face face :icon icon))
                       (t
                        (create-image icon-path
@@ -516,7 +521,7 @@ ACTIVE is an indicator that the current window is active."
                                               'imagemagick)
                                          (or (and (eq type 'jpg) 'jpeg) type))
                                      nil 
-                                     :height (window-mode-line-height)
+                                     :height (mode-icons-line-height)
                                      :ascent 'center :face face :icon icon)))))
                   ((and (eq type 'emoji) (setq tmp (mode-icons--get-emoji " " (list "" icon type) face)))
                    (get-text-property 0 'display tmp))
@@ -1059,7 +1064,7 @@ ACTIVE is a flag telling if the current window is active."
                                                   (memq 'png (imagemagick-types)))
                                              'imagemagick) 'png)
                                     nil
-                                    :height (window-mode-line-height)
+                                    :height (mode-icons-line-height)
                                     :ascent 'center
                                     :heuristic-mask t
                                     :face face)
@@ -1117,7 +1122,7 @@ ACTIVE is a flag for if  the current window is active."
                                     :face face
                                     ;; :background (emojify--get-image-background beg end)
                                     ;; no-op if imagemagick is not available
-                                    :height (window-mode-line-height))
+                                    :height (mode-icons-line-height))
                       'face face
                       'mode-icons-p icon-spec))))))