diff --git a/docs/changelog.md b/docs/changelog.md
index 67fe65ce..f4f3d47a 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.md
+++ b/docs/changelog.md
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ Requires libvips v8.7.0.
 * Expose `pages` and `pageHeight` metadata for multi-page input images.
   [#1205](https://github.com/lovell/sharp/issues/1205)
 
+* Expose underlying error message for invalid input.
+  [#1505](https://github.com/lovell/sharp/issues/1505)
+
 * Prevent mutatation of options passed to `jpeg`.
   [#1516](https://github.com/lovell/sharp/issues/1516)
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 0da7a181..3b3bf661 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
     "documentation": "^9.1.1",
     "exif-reader": "^1.0.2",
     "icc": "^1.0.0",
-    "license-checker": "^24.1.0",
+    "license-checker": "^25.0.1",
     "mocha": "^5.2.0",
     "mock-fs": "^4.7.0",
     "nyc": "^13.1.0",
diff --git a/src/common.cc b/src/common.cc
index ca8f10ac..c4b301b6 100644
--- a/src/common.cc
+++ b/src/common.cc
@@ -245,8 +245,8 @@ namespace sharp {
             if (imageType == ImageType::SVG || imageType == ImageType::PDF || imageType == ImageType::MAGICK) {
               SetDensity(image, descriptor->density);
             }
-          } catch (...) {
-            throw vips::VError("Input buffer has corrupt header");
+          } catch (vips::VError const &err) {
+            throw vips::VError(std::string("Input buffer has corrupt header: ") + err.what());
           }
         } else {
           throw vips::VError("Input buffer contains unsupported image format");
@@ -287,8 +287,8 @@ namespace sharp {
             if (imageType == ImageType::SVG || imageType == ImageType::PDF || imageType == ImageType::MAGICK) {
               SetDensity(image, descriptor->density);
             }
-          } catch (...) {
-            throw vips::VError("Input file has corrupt header");
+          } catch (vips::VError const &err) {
+            throw vips::VError(std::string("Input file has corrupt header: ") + err.what());
           }
         } else {
           throw vips::VError("Input file is missing or of an unsupported image format");
diff --git a/test/fixtures/index.js b/test/fixtures/index.js
index 28e9a0b2..3b335065 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/index.js
+++ b/test/fixtures/index.js
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ module.exports = {
   inputJpgCenteredImage: getPath('centered_image.jpeg'),
   inputJpgRandom: getPath('random.jpg'), // convert -size 200x200 xc:   +noise Random   random.jpg
   inputJpgThRandom: getPath('thRandom.jpg'), // convert random.jpg  -channel G -threshold 5% -separate +channel -negate thRandom.jpg
+  inputJpgLossless: getPath('testimgl.jpg'), // Lossless JPEG from ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/unix/X11/graphics/ImageMagick/delegates/ljpeg-6b.tar.gz
 
   inputPng: getPath('50020484-00001.png'), // http://c.searspartsdirect.com/lis_png/PLDM/50020484-00001.png
   inputPngWithTransparency: getPath('blackbug.png'), // public domain
diff --git a/test/fixtures/testimgl.jpg b/test/fixtures/testimgl.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..82b6b036
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/fixtures/testimgl.jpg differ
diff --git a/test/unit/metadata.js b/test/unit/metadata.js
index fd07ab20..a8406e67 100644
--- a/test/unit/metadata.js
+++ b/test/unit/metadata.js
@@ -457,6 +457,7 @@ describe('Image metadata', function () {
     sharp(fixtures.inputJpgWithCorruptHeader)
       .metadata(function (err) {
         assert.strictEqual(true, !!err);
+        assert.strictEqual(true, /Input file has corrupt header: VipsJpeg: Premature end of JPEG file/.test(err.message));
         done();
       });
   });
@@ -465,6 +466,16 @@ describe('Image metadata', function () {
     sharp(fs.readFileSync(fixtures.inputJpgWithCorruptHeader))
       .metadata(function (err) {
         assert.strictEqual(true, !!err);
+        assert.strictEqual(true, /Input buffer has corrupt header: VipsJpeg: Premature end of JPEG file/.test(err.message));
+        done();
+      });
+  });
+
+  it('Unsupported lossless JPEG passes underlying error message', function (done) {
+    sharp(fixtures.inputJpgLossless)
+      .metadata(function (err) {
+        assert.strictEqual(true, !!err);
+        assert.strictEqual(true, /Input file has corrupt header: VipsJpeg: Unsupported JPEG process: SOF type 0xc3/.test(err.message));
         done();
       });
   });