diff --git a/backgrounds/Makefile.am b/backgrounds/Makefile.am
index cb7ccc552c4ee462a56dd46d9abaa7766213c475..8cb8ed1d4388b1d67fe29ed375e211c1627618fa 100644
--- a/backgrounds/Makefile.am
+++ b/backgrounds/Makefile.am
@@ -13,4 +13,6 @@ backgrounds_DATA = \
     xfce-leaves.svg
 
 
-EXTRA_DIST = $(backgrounds_DATA)
+EXTRA_DIST = \
+	$(backgrounds_DATA) \
+	LICENSE.md
diff --git a/backgrounds/README.md b/backgrounds/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5a6c67227679680c9238dfe0838cc06ae21df19d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backgrounds/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+# Xfce Desktop Backgrounds
+
+The backgrounds included here were created by the following people, for
+the following Xfce releases, and are licensed as follows:
+
+## Currently Shipped Backgrounds
+
+### Xfce 4.18
+
+For this release, we had a [design
+contest](https://gitlab.xfce.org/artwork/public/-/issues/1).  Katerina
+Shkel's background won first place, with two of Denis Kuzminok's winning
+second and third places.
+
+* `xfce-shapes`, by [Katerina Shkel](https://gitlab.xfce.org/Shxxl),
+  [Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike
+  4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
+* `xfce-flower`, by [Denis
+  Kuzminok](https://gitlab.xfce.org/DenDrop), [Creative Commons
+  Attribution Share-Alike
+  4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
+* `xfce-leaves`, by [Denis
+  Kuzminok](https://gitlab.xfce.org/DenDrop), [Creative Commons
+  Attribution Share-Alike
+  4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
+
+### Xfce 4.16
+
+* `xfce-verticals`, by [Pasi Lallinaho](https://open.knome.fi/),
+  [Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike
+  4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
+
+### Xfce 4.14
+
+* `xfce-stripes`, by [Pasi Lallinaho](https://open.knome.fi/), [Creative
+  Commons Attribution Share-Alike
+  4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
+
+### Xfce 4.12
+
+* `xfce-teal`, by [Pasi Lallinaho](https://open.knome.fi/), [Creative
+  Commons Attribution Share-Alike
+  4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
+
+### Xfce 4.10
+
+* `xfce-blue` is currently of unknown provenance.  While we are certain
+  that the contributor licensed it to us in a manner compatible with
+  xfdesktop's licensing, downstream distributors may choose to leave
+  this one out if there is any discomfort with the status of this
+  background.
+
+## Historical Backgrounds
+
+This is a simple list of some of the old backgrounds we used to ship in
+earlier releases.  While we do not ship them any longer, they can be
+found in xfdesktop's git history, in the
+[`backgrounds/`](https://gitlab.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/-/commits/master/backgrounds?ref_type=heads)
+directory, with older releases in the
+[`backdrops/`](https://gitlab.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/-/commits/6caa4cc93893b16d7b2bf6f951038350074e85ee/backdrops?ref_type=undefined)
+directory.
+
+* `xfce-in-a-grid`
+* `xfce-in-the-moon`
+* `xfce-smoke`
+* `xfce-stellar-tile`
+* `xfce-stripes`
+* `xfce-turbulence`
+* `xfce4gradientcurve`
+* `xfce4logo`