diff --git a/app/services/image_vector.py b/app/services/image_vector.py
index d1977aa..fe02cc5 100644
--- a/app/services/image_vector.py
+++ b/app/services/image_vector.py
@@ -147,6 +147,20 @@ def to_pg(vector: Iterable[int]) -> str:
 # URL -> bytes
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+_RATE_LIMIT_BACKOFF_SECONDS = 5.0
+_RATE_LIMIT_BACKOFF_CAP_SECONDS = 15.0
+
+
+def _retry_after_seconds(header: Optional[str]) -> float:
+    """Seconds to wait after a 429: the server's Retry-After if it is a plain
+    number, capped so one hostile header cannot stall the worker."""
+    try:
+        seconds = float(header) if header else _RATE_LIMIT_BACKOFF_SECONDS
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        seconds = _RATE_LIMIT_BACKOFF_SECONDS
+    return max(0.0, min(seconds, _RATE_LIMIT_BACKOFF_CAP_SECONDS))
+
+
 def download_image_bytes(url: str, timeout: Optional[float] = None) -> Optional[bytes]:
     """Fetch `url` as image bytes, or None.
 
@@ -165,13 +179,20 @@ def download_image_bytes(url: str, timeout: Optional[float] = None) -> Optional[
     same_site = f"{parsed.scheme}://{parsed.netloc}/" if parsed.netloc else None
     timeout = timeout or IMAGE_VECTOR_TIMEOUT_SECONDS
 
-    for referer in (same_site, None):
+    # Third attempt exists for one reason: a 429. Wikimedia served ~100 of the
+    # Own Products images in a row and then throttled the rest; those URLs are
+    # fine, the pace was not. Honour Retry-After (capped) and try once more.
+    for referer in (same_site, None, same_site):
         headers = {"User-Agent": _BROWSER_UA, "Accept": "image/*,*/*;q=0.8"}
         if referer:
             headers["Referer"] = referer
         resp = None
         try:
             resp = requests.get(url, headers=headers, timeout=timeout, stream=True)
+            if resp.status_code == 429:
+                logger.debug("HTTP 429 for %s - backing off", url)
+                time.sleep(_retry_after_seconds(resp.headers.get("retry-after")))
+                continue
             if resp.status_code != 200:
                 logger.debug("HTTP %s for %s", resp.status_code, url)
                 continue
diff --git a/tests/test_image_vector.py b/tests/test_image_vector.py
index cd592fe..546b888 100644
--- a/tests/test_image_vector.py
+++ b/tests/test_image_vector.py
@@ -244,6 +244,35 @@ def test_an_unlabelled_body_with_an_image_extension_is_accepted(monkeypatch):
     assert iv.download_image_bytes("https://cdn.example/p/1.jpg") == body
 
 
+def test_a_429_backs_off_for_retry_after_and_tries_again(monkeypatch):
+    """Wikimedia throttled the Own Products backfill after ~100 images; the
+    URLs were fine. A 429 is a pause, not a failure."""
+    body = b"x" * (iv.MIN_IMAGE_BYTES + 10)
+    throttled = _Resp(429, b"")
+    throttled.headers["retry-after"] = "2"
+    _patch_requests(monkeypatch, [throttled, _Resp(200, body)])
+    slept: List[float] = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(iv.time, "sleep", slept.append)
+
+    assert iv.download_image_bytes("https://upload.wikimedia.org/x.jpg") == body
+    assert slept == [2.0]
+
+
+def test_a_persistent_429_gives_up_after_three_attempts(monkeypatch):
+    calls = _patch_requests(monkeypatch, [_Resp(429, b""), _Resp(429, b""), _Resp(429, b"")])
+    monkeypatch.setattr(iv.time, "sleep", lambda s: None)
+
+    assert iv.download_image_bytes("https://upload.wikimedia.org/x.jpg") is None
+    assert len(calls) == 3
+
+
+def test_retry_after_is_capped_and_tolerates_garbage():
+    assert iv._retry_after_seconds("3") == 3.0
+    assert iv._retry_after_seconds("9999") == iv._RATE_LIMIT_BACKOFF_CAP_SECONDS
+    assert iv._retry_after_seconds(None) == iv._RATE_LIMIT_BACKOFF_SECONDS
+    assert iv._retry_after_seconds("Wed, 21 Oct 2026 07:28:00 GMT") == iv._RATE_LIMIT_BACKOFF_SECONDS
+
+
 def test_a_raised_request_is_none_not_an_exception(monkeypatch):
     import requests