diff --git a/src/frontends/gnome/gnome_helpers.C b/src/frontends/gnome/gnome_helpers.C
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f517132c8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/frontends/gnome/gnome_helpers.C
@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+// -*- C++ -*-
+/* This file is part of
+ * ====================================================== 
+ * 
+ *           LyX, The Document Processor
+ *       
+ *          Copyright 2000 The LyX Team.
+ *
+ * ====================================================== */
+
+#include <config.h>
+
+#include <gdk--/font.h>
+#include <gdk/gdktypes.h>
+#include <gdk/gdkx.h>
+#include <glib.h>
+
+#include "gnome_helpers.h"
+
+string get_font_name(Gdk_Font const & font)
+{
+	gchar * name = get_font_name(font.gdkobj());
+	string name_str(name);
+	g_free(name);
+	return name_str;
+}
+
+
+gchar *
+get_font_name (const GdkFont * font)
+{
+	Atom font_atom, atom;
+	Bool status;
+
+#ifdef E_FONT_VERBOSE
+	gint i;
+	g_print ("Extracting X font info\n");
+#endif
+
+	font_atom = gdk_atom_intern ("FONT", FALSE);
+
+	if (font->type == GDK_FONT_FONTSET) {
+		XFontStruct **font_structs;
+		gint num_fonts;
+		gchar **font_names;
+
+		num_fonts = XFontsOfFontSet (GDK_FONT_XFONT (font), &font_structs, &font_names);
+#ifdef E_FONT_VERBOSE
+		g_print ("Fonts of fontset:\n");
+		for (i = 0; i < num_fonts; i++) g_print ("  %s\n", font_names[i]);
+#endif
+		status = XGetFontProperty (font_structs[0], font_atom, &atom);
+	} else {
+		status = XGetFontProperty (GDK_FONT_XFONT (font), font_atom, &atom);
+	}
+
+	if (status) {
+		return gdk_atom_name (atom);
+	}
+
+	return NULL;
+}
+
+#if USE_UNUSED_STUFF_FROM_E_FONT
+/*
+ * Splits full X font name into pieces, overwriting hyphens
+ */
+
+static void
+split_name (gchar * c[], gchar * name)
+{
+	gchar *p;
+	gint i;
+
+	p = name;
+	if (*p == '-') p++;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < 12; i++) {
+		c[i] = p;
+		/* Skip text */
+		while (*p && (*p != '-')) p++;
+		/* Replace hyphen with '\0' */
+		if (*p) *p++ = '\0';
+	}
+
+	c[i] = p;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Find light and bold variants of a font, ideally using the provided
+ * weight for the light variant, and a weight 2 shades darker than it
+ * for the bold variant. If there isn't something 2 shades darker, use
+ * something 3 or more shades darker if it exists, or 1 shade darker
+ * if that's all there is. If there is nothing darker than the provided
+ * weight, but there are lighter fonts, then use the darker one for
+ * bold and a lighter one for light.
+ */
+
+static gboolean
+find_variants (gchar **namelist, gint length, gchar *weight,
+	       gchar **lightname, gchar **boldname)
+{
+	static GHashTable *wh = NULL;
+	/* Standard, Found, Bold, Light */
+	gint sw, fw, bw, lw;
+	gchar s[32];
+	gchar *f, *b, *l;
+	gchar *p;
+	gint i;
+
+	if (!wh) {
+		wh = g_hash_table_new (g_str_hash, g_str_equal);
+		g_hash_table_insert (wh, "light", GINT_TO_POINTER (1));
+		g_hash_table_insert (wh, "book", GINT_TO_POINTER (2));
+		g_hash_table_insert (wh, "regular", GINT_TO_POINTER (2));
+		g_hash_table_insert (wh, "medium", GINT_TO_POINTER (3));
+		g_hash_table_insert (wh, "demibold", GINT_TO_POINTER (5));
+		g_hash_table_insert (wh, "bold", GINT_TO_POINTER (6));
+		g_hash_table_insert (wh, "black", GINT_TO_POINTER (8));
+	}
+
+	g_snprintf (s, 32, weight);
+	g_strdown (s);
+	sw = GPOINTER_TO_INT (g_hash_table_lookup (wh, s));
+	if (sw == 0) return FALSE;
+
+	fw = 0; lw = 0; bw = 32;
+	f = NULL; l = NULL; b = NULL;
+	*lightname = NULL; *boldname = NULL;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < length; i++) {
+		p = namelist[i];
+		if (*p) p++;
+		while (*p && (*p != '-')) p++;
+		if (*p) p++;
+		while (*p && (*p != '-')) p++;
+		if (*p) p++;
+		f = p;
+		while (*p && (*p != '-')) p++;
+		if (*p) *p = '\0';
+		g_strdown (f);
+		fw = GPOINTER_TO_INT (g_hash_table_lookup (wh, f));
+		if (fw) {
+			if (fw > sw) {
+				if ((fw - 2 == sw) ||
+				    ((fw > bw) && (bw == sw + 1)) ||
+				    ((fw < bw) && (fw - 2 > sw))) {
+					bw = fw;
+					b = f;
+				}
+			} else if (fw < sw) {
+				if ((fw + 2 == sw) ||
+				    ((fw < lw) && (lw == sw - 1)) ||
+				    ((fw > lw) && (fw + 2 < sw))) {
+					lw = fw;
+					l = f;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (b) {
+		*lightname = weight;
+		*boldname = b;
+		return TRUE;
+	} else if (l) {
+		*lightname = l;
+		*boldname = weight;
+		return TRUE;
+	}
+	return FALSE;
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifdef E_FONT_VERBOSE
+/*
+ * Return newly allocated full name
+ */
+
+static void
+e_font_print_gdk_font_name (const GdkFont * font)
+{
+	Atom font_atom, atom;
+	Bool status;
+
+	font_atom = gdk_atom_intern ("FONT", FALSE);
+
+	g_print ("-------- start of font description --------\n");
+
+	if (font == NULL) {
+		g_print ("GdkFont is NULL\n");
+	} else if (font->type == GDK_FONT_FONTSET) {
+		XFontStruct **font_structs;
+		gint num_fonts;
+		gchar **font_names;
+		gint i;
+
+		num_fonts = XFontsOfFontSet (GDK_FONT_XFONT (font), &font_structs, &font_names);
+
+		g_print ("Gdk Fontset, locale: %s\n", XLocaleOfFontSet (GDK_FONT_XFONT (font)));
+		for (i = 0; i < num_fonts; i++) {
+			g_print ("    %s\n", font_names[i]);
+		}
+	} else {
+		gchar * name;
+		status = XGetFontProperty (GDK_FONT_XFONT (font), font_atom, &atom);
+		name = gdk_atom_name (atom);
+		g_print ("GdkFont: %s\n", name);
+		if (name) g_free (name);
+	}
+
+	g_print ("-------- end of font description --------\n");
+}
+#endif