diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index b152a7a..fbc7ea2 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ dependencies = [
     "transmission-rpc",
     "authlib>=1.7.0,<1.8",
     "apprise>=1.9.0",
-    "Pillow>=11.0.0",
 ]
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]
diff --git a/shelfmark/core/image_cache.py b/shelfmark/core/image_cache.py
index d9b481c..1aeb0fd 100644
--- a/shelfmark/core/image_cache.py
+++ b/shelfmark/core/image_cache.py
@@ -49,9 +49,6 @@ TRANSIENT_CACHE_TTL = 60
 
 _MIN_WEBP_HEADER_LENGTH = 12
 HTTP_NOT_FOUND = HTTPStatus.NOT_FOUND
-MAX_VARIANT_DIMENSION = 1024
-WEBP_DEFAULT_QUALITY = 80
-JPEG_DEFAULT_QUALITY = 85
 
 
 def _detect_image_type(data: bytes) -> tuple[str, str] | None:
@@ -75,164 +72,6 @@ def _detect_image_type(data: bytes) -> tuple[str, str] | None:
     return None
 
 
-def normalize_variant_dimension(value: object) -> int | None:
-    """Normalize a requested variant dimension, clamping to a safe upper bound."""
-    dimension = coerce_int(value, 0)
-    if dimension <= 0:
-        return None
-    return min(dimension, MAX_VARIANT_DIMENSION)
-
-
-def normalize_variant_format(value: object) -> str | None:
-    """Normalize a requested output image format."""
-    if not isinstance(value, str):
-        return None
-
-    normalized = value.strip().lower()
-    if normalized in {"jpg", "jpeg"}:
-        return "jpeg"
-    if normalized in {"png", "webp"}:
-        return normalized
-    return None
-
-
-def build_variant_cache_id(
-    cache_id: str,
-    *,
-    width: int | None,
-    height: int | None,
-    image_format: str | None,
-) -> str:
-    """Build a cache key for a derived cover variant."""
-    width_token = str(width) if width is not None else "auto"
-    height_token = str(height) if height is not None else "auto"
-    format_token = image_format or "original"
-    return f"{cache_id}__w{width_token}_h{height_token}_f{format_token}"
-
-
-def _calculate_variant_size(
-    *,
-    source_width: int,
-    source_height: int,
-    width: int | None,
-    height: int | None,
-) -> tuple[int, int]:
-    """Calculate the output size while preserving aspect ratio and avoiding upscaling."""
-    if width is None and height is None:
-        return source_width, source_height
-
-    width_ratio = (width / source_width) if width is not None else None
-    height_ratio = (height / source_height) if height is not None else None
-
-    if width_ratio is not None and height_ratio is not None:
-        scale = min(width_ratio, height_ratio, 1.0)
-    elif width_ratio is not None:
-        scale = min(width_ratio, 1.0)
-    elif height_ratio is not None:
-        scale = min(height_ratio, 1.0)
-    else:
-        scale = 1.0
-
-    return (
-        max(1, round(source_width * scale)),
-        max(1, round(source_height * scale)),
-    )
-
-
-def _normalize_source_format(image_data: bytes) -> str | None:
-    """Return the normalized detected source image format."""
-    detected = _detect_image_type(image_data)
-    if not detected:
-        return None
-
-    content_type, _ext = detected
-    if content_type == "image/jpeg":
-        return "jpeg"
-    if content_type == "image/png":
-        return "png"
-    if content_type == "image/webp":
-        return "webp"
-    return None
-
-
-def create_image_variant(
-    image_data: bytes,
-    *,
-    width: int | None = None,
-    height: int | None = None,
-    image_format: str | None = None,
-) -> tuple[bytes, str] | None:
-    """Create a resized and/or transcoded image variant.
-
-    Returns None when no variant is needed or the image cannot be safely transformed.
-    """
-    requested_format = normalize_variant_format(image_format)
-    if width is None and height is None and requested_format is None:
-        return None
-
-    source_format = _normalize_source_format(image_data)
-
-    try:
-        from PIL import Image, ImageOps, UnidentifiedImageError
-    except ImportError:
-        logger.warning("Pillow is not installed; serving original cover image")
-        return None
-
-    try:
-        with Image.open(BytesIO(image_data)) as source_image:
-            if getattr(source_image, "is_animated", False):
-                return None
-
-            image = ImageOps.exif_transpose(source_image)
-            source_width, source_height = image.size
-            output_width, output_height = _calculate_variant_size(
-                source_width=source_width,
-                source_height=source_height,
-                width=width,
-                height=height,
-            )
-
-            needs_resize = (output_width, output_height) != (source_width, source_height)
-            output_format = requested_format or source_format
-
-            if not needs_resize and output_format == source_format:
-                return None
-
-            if needs_resize:
-                image = image.resize((output_width, output_height), Image.Resampling.LANCZOS)
-
-            if output_format == "jpeg":
-                if image.mode not in {"RGB", "L"}:
-                    image = image.convert("RGB")
-                content_type = "image/jpeg"
-                save_kwargs: dict[str, Any] = {
-                    "format": "JPEG",
-                    "quality": JPEG_DEFAULT_QUALITY,
-                    "optimize": True,
-                }
-            elif output_format == "png":
-                if image.mode not in {"1", "L", "LA", "P", "PA", "RGB", "RGBA"}:
-                    image = image.convert("RGBA")
-                content_type = "image/png"
-                save_kwargs = {"format": "PNG", "optimize": True}
-            else:
-                if image.mode not in {"RGB", "RGBA"}:
-                    image = image.convert("RGBA" if "A" in image.getbands() else "RGB")
-                content_type = "image/webp"
-                save_kwargs = {
-                    "format": "WEBP",
-                    "quality": WEBP_DEFAULT_QUALITY,
-                    "method": 6,
-                }
-
-            output = BytesIO()
-            image.save(output, **save_kwargs)
-            return output.getvalue(), content_type
-    except (OSError, UnidentifiedImageError, ValueError) as exc:
-        logger.warning("Failed to derive image variant: %s", exc)
-        return None
-
-
 class ImageCacheService:
     """Persistent image cache with LRU eviction and TTL support."""
 
diff --git a/shelfmark/main.py b/shelfmark/main.py
index 777fbea..6683711 100644
--- a/shelfmark/main.py
+++ b/shelfmark/main.py
@@ -1597,9 +1597,6 @@ def api_cover(cover_id: str) -> Response | tuple[Response, int]:
 
     Query Parameters:
         url (str): Base64-encoded original image URL (required on first request)
-        w (int): Optional max width for a derived image variant
-        h (int): Optional max height for a derived image variant
-        format (str): Optional output format for a derived image variant (webp/png/jpeg)
 
     Returns:
         flask.Response: Binary image data with appropriate Content-Type, or 404.
@@ -1609,84 +1606,43 @@ def api_cover(cover_id: str) -> Response | tuple[Response, int]:
         import base64
 
         from shelfmark.config.env import is_covers_cache_enabled
-        from shelfmark.core.image_cache import (
-            build_variant_cache_id,
-            create_image_variant,
-            get_image_cache,
-            normalize_variant_dimension,
-            normalize_variant_format,
-        )
+        from shelfmark.core.image_cache import get_image_cache
 
         # Check if caching is enabled
         if not is_covers_cache_enabled():
             return jsonify({"error": "Cover caching is disabled"}), 404
 
         cache = get_image_cache()
-        width = normalize_variant_dimension(request.args.get("w"))
-        height = normalize_variant_dimension(request.args.get("h"))
-        image_format = normalize_variant_format(request.args.get("format"))
-        variant_cache_id = (
-            build_variant_cache_id(
-                cover_id,
-                width=width,
-                height=height,
-                image_format=image_format,
-            )
-            if width is not None or height is not None or image_format is not None
-            else None
-        )
-
-        def make_cover_response(
-            image_data: bytes,
-            content_type: str,
-            *,
-            cache_status: str,
-        ) -> Response:
-            response = app.response_class(response=image_data, status=200, mimetype=content_type)
-            response.headers["Cache-Control"] = "public, max-age=86400"
-            response.headers["X-Cache"] = cache_status
-            return response
 
         # Try to get from cache first
-        cache_lookup_id = variant_cache_id or cover_id
-        cached = cache.get(cache_lookup_id)
+        cached = cache.get(cover_id)
         if cached:
             image_data, content_type = cached
-            return make_cover_response(image_data, content_type, cache_status="HIT")
+            response = app.response_class(response=image_data, status=200, mimetype=content_type)
+            response.headers["Cache-Control"] = "public, max-age=86400"
+            response.headers["X-Cache"] = "HIT"
+            return response
 
         # Cache miss - get URL from query parameter
         encoded_url = request.args.get("url")
-        original: tuple[bytes, str] | None = cache.get(cover_id) if variant_cache_id else None
+        if not encoded_url:
+            return jsonify({"error": "Cover URL not provided"}), 404
 
-        if original is None:
-            if not encoded_url:
-                return jsonify({"error": "Cover URL not provided"}), 404
+        try:
+            original_url = base64.urlsafe_b64decode(encoded_url).decode()
+        except (binascii.Error, UnicodeDecodeError) as e:
+            logger.warning("Failed to decode cover URL: %s", e)
+            return jsonify({"error": "Invalid cover URL encoding"}), 400
 
-            try:
-                original_url = base64.urlsafe_b64decode(encoded_url).decode()
-            except (binascii.Error, UnicodeDecodeError) as e:
-                logger.warning("Failed to decode cover URL: %s", e)
-                return jsonify({"error": "Invalid cover URL encoding"}), 400
+        # Fetch and cache the image
+        result = cache.fetch_and_cache(cover_id, original_url)
+        if not result:
+            return jsonify({"error": "Failed to fetch cover image"}), 404
 
-            # Fetch and cache the original image
-            original = cache.fetch_and_cache(cover_id, original_url)
-            if not original:
-                return jsonify({"error": "Failed to fetch cover image"}), 404
-
-        image_data, content_type = original
-
-        if variant_cache_id:
-            variant = create_image_variant(
-                image_data,
-                width=width,
-                height=height,
-                image_format=image_format,
-            )
-            if variant:
-                image_data, content_type = variant
-                cache.put(variant_cache_id, image_data, content_type)
-
-        response = make_cover_response(image_data, content_type, cache_status="MISS")
+        image_data, content_type = result
+        response = app.response_class(response=image_data, status=200, mimetype=content_type)
+        response.headers["Cache-Control"] = "public, max-age=86400"
+        response.headers["X-Cache"] = "MISS"
     except _IMPORT_OPERATIONAL_ERRORS as e:
         logger.error_trace(f"Cover fetch error: {e}")
         return jsonify({"error": str(e)}), 500
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/components/DetailsModal.tsx b/src/frontend/src/components/DetailsModal.tsx
index 305e951..ad5b4af 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/components/DetailsModal.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/components/DetailsModal.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import { useMountEffect } from '../hooks/useMountEffect';
 import type { Book, ButtonStateInfo } from '../types';
 import { isMetadataBook } from '../types';
 import { bookSupportsTargets } from '../utils/bookTargetLoader';
-import { getSizedCoverUrl } from '../utils/covers';
 import { isUserCancelledError } from '../utils/errors';
 import { BookTargetDropdown } from './BookTargetDropdown';
 
@@ -137,10 +136,6 @@ export const DetailsModal = ({
   const artworkMaxWidth = isSquareCover
     ? 'min(45vw, 400px, calc(90vh - 220px))'
     : 'min(45vw, 520px, calc((90vh - 220px) / 1.6))';
-  const optimizedPreview = getSizedCoverUrl(book.preview, {
-    width: isSquareCover ? 640 : 480,
-    height: isSquareCover ? 640 : 720,
-  });
   const additionalInfo =
     book.info && Object.keys(book.info).length > 0
       ? Object.entries(book.info).filter(([key]) => {
@@ -206,17 +201,14 @@ export const DetailsModal = ({
           <div className="min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-y-auto px-5 py-6">
             <div className="flex flex-col gap-6 lg:min-h-0 lg:flex-row lg:items-stretch lg:gap-8">
               <div className="flex w-full justify-center lg:w-auto lg:flex-none lg:justify-start lg:self-stretch lg:pr-4">
-                {optimizedPreview ? (
+                {book.preview ? (
                   <div
                     className="flex w-full items-center justify-center lg:h-full lg:max-w-none"
                     style={{ maxHeight: artworkMaxHeight, maxWidth: artworkMaxWidth }}
                   >
                     <img
-                      src={optimizedPreview}
+                      src={book.preview}
                       alt="Book cover"
-                      width={isSquareCover ? 640 : 480}
-                      height={isSquareCover ? 640 : 720}
-                      decoding="async"
                       className="h-auto max-h-full w-auto max-w-full rounded-xl object-contain shadow-lg"
                       style={{ maxHeight: '100%', maxWidth: '100%' }}
                     />
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/components/ReleaseModal.tsx b/src/frontend/src/components/ReleaseModal.tsx
index df61021..c39dd7e 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/components/ReleaseModal.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/components/ReleaseModal.tsx
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import type {
 import { isMetadataBook } from '../types';
 import { bookSupportsTargets } from '../utils/bookTargetLoader';
 import { getColorStyleFromHint } from '../utils/colorMaps';
-import { getSizedCoverUrl } from '../utils/covers';
 import {
   LANGUAGE_OPTION_DEFAULT,
   getLanguageFilterValues,
@@ -211,9 +210,8 @@ function StarRating({ rating, maxRating = 5 }: { rating: number; maxRating?: num
 const ReleaseThumbnail = ({ preview, title }: { preview?: string; title?: string }) => {
   const [imageLoaded, setImageLoaded] = useState(false);
   const [imageError, setImageError] = useState(false);
-  const optimizedPreview = getSizedCoverUrl(preview, { width: 32, height: 48 });
 
-  if (!optimizedPreview || imageError) {
+  if (!preview || imageError) {
     return (
       <div
         className="flex h-10 w-7 shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-sm bg-zinc-200 text-[7px] font-medium text-zinc-500 sm:h-12 sm:w-8 sm:text-[8px] dark:bg-zinc-700 dark:text-zinc-400"
@@ -230,13 +228,10 @@ const ReleaseThumbnail = ({ preview, title }: { preview?: string; title?: string
         <div className="absolute inset-0 animate-pulse bg-linear-to-r from-gray-200 via-gray-100 to-gray-200 dark:from-gray-700 dark:via-gray-600 dark:to-gray-700" />
       )}
       <img
-        src={optimizedPreview}
+        src={preview}
         alt={title || 'Book cover'}
         className="h-full w-full object-cover object-top"
         loading="lazy"
-        decoding="async"
-        width={32}
-        height={48}
         onLoad={() => setImageLoaded(true)}
         onError={() => setImageError(true)}
         style={{ opacity: imageLoaded ? 1 : 0, transition: 'opacity 0.2s ease-in-out' }}
@@ -1242,10 +1237,6 @@ const ReleaseModalSession = ({
   } else if (book.series_name) {
     coverSizeClassName = 'h-[144px] w-24';
   }
-  const modalPreview = getSizedCoverUrl(book.preview, {
-    width: book.cover_aspect === 'square' ? 144 : 96,
-    height: 144,
-  });
 
   let combinedFooterEbookMode = combinedEbookMode;
   if (combinedPhase === 'ebook') {
@@ -1334,14 +1325,13 @@ const ReleaseModalSession = ({
             {/* Mobile: static thumbnail always visible */}
             {!isRequestMode && (
               <div className="shrink-0 sm:hidden">
-                {modalPreview ? (
+                {book.preview ? (
                   <img
-                    src={modalPreview}
+                    src={book.preview}
                     alt=""
                     width={book.cover_aspect === 'square' ? 68 : 46}
                     height={68}
                     className={`rounded-sm object-cover shadow-md ${book.cover_aspect === 'square' ? 'object-center' : 'object-top'}`}
-                    decoding="async"
                     style={{
                       width: book.cover_aspect === 'square' ? 68 : 46,
                       height: 68,
@@ -1375,14 +1365,13 @@ const ReleaseModalSession = ({
                   className="transition-opacity duration-300 ease-out"
                   style={{ opacity: showHeaderThumb ? 1 : 0 }}
                 >
-                  {modalPreview ? (
+                  {book.preview ? (
                     <img
-                      src={modalPreview}
+                      src={book.preview}
                       alt=""
                       width={book.cover_aspect === 'square' ? 68 : 46}
                       height={68}
                       className={`rounded-sm object-cover shadow-md ${book.cover_aspect === 'square' ? 'object-center' : 'object-top'}`}
-                      decoding="async"
                       style={{
                         width: book.cover_aspect === 'square' ? 68 : 46,
                         height: 68,
@@ -1445,13 +1434,10 @@ const ReleaseModalSession = ({
                 ref={bookSummaryRef}
                 className="flex gap-4 border-b border-(--border-muted) px-5 py-4"
               >
-                {modalPreview ? (
+                {book.preview ? (
                   <img
-                    src={modalPreview}
+                    src={book.preview}
                     alt="Book cover"
-                    width={book.cover_aspect === 'square' ? (book.series_name ? 144 : 120) : 96}
-                    height={book.series_name ? 144 : 120}
-                    decoding="async"
                     className={`hidden shrink-0 rounded-lg object-cover shadow-md sm:block ${coverAspectClassName} ${coverSizeClassName}`}
                   />
                 ) : (
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/components/RequestConfirmationModal.tsx b/src/frontend/src/components/RequestConfirmationModal.tsx
index afb8576..3315a78 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/components/RequestConfirmationModal.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/components/RequestConfirmationModal.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import { useEscapeKey } from '../hooks/useEscapeKey';
 import { useMountEffect } from '../hooks/useMountEffect';
 import { getMetadataBookInfo } from '../services/api';
 import type { CreateRequestPayload } from '../types';
-import { getSizedCoverUrl } from '../utils/covers';
 import type { RequestConfirmationPreview } from '../utils/requestConfirmation';
 import {
   applyRequestNoteToPayload,
@@ -176,7 +175,6 @@ function RequestConfirmationModalSession({
 
   const titleId = 'request-confirmation-modal-title';
   const confirmDisabled = isSubmitting || (allowNotes && note.length > MAX_REQUEST_NOTE_LENGTH);
-  const previewImage = getSizedCoverUrl(preview.preview, { width: 64, height: 96 });
 
   const submit = async () => {
     if (confirmDisabled) {
@@ -242,15 +240,11 @@ function RequestConfirmationModalSession({
           <div className="rounded-xl border border-(--border-muted) bg-(--bg-soft) px-4 py-4">
             <div className="flex gap-4">
               <div className="h-24 w-16 shrink-0 overflow-hidden rounded-lg border border-(--border-muted) bg-(--bg)">
-                {previewImage ? (
+                {preview.preview ? (
                   <img
-                    src={previewImage}
+                    src={preview.preview}
                     alt={`${preview.title} cover`}
                     className="h-full w-full object-cover object-top"
-                    loading="lazy"
-                    decoding="async"
-                    width={64}
-                    height={96}
                   />
                 ) : (
                   <div className="flex h-full w-full items-center justify-center text-[10px] opacity-60">
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/components/activity/ActivityCard.tsx b/src/frontend/src/components/activity/ActivityCard.tsx
index c90ea1c..98fb328 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/components/activity/ActivityCard.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/components/activity/ActivityCard.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import { useLayoutEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 
 import type { RequestRecord } from '../../types';
 import { withBasePath } from '../../utils/basePath';
-import { getSizedCoverUrl } from '../../utils/covers';
 import { Tooltip } from '../shared/Tooltip';
 import type { ActivityCardAction } from './activityCardModel';
 import { buildActivityCardModel } from './activityCardModel';
@@ -500,7 +499,6 @@ export const ActivityCard = ({
   const titleLineRef = useRef<HTMLParagraphElement | null>(null);
   const [badgeOverflow, setBadgeOverflow] = useState<Record<string, boolean>>({});
   const [titleOverflow, setTitleOverflow] = useState(false);
-  const previewImage = getSizedCoverUrl(item.preview, { width: 48, height: 72 });
 
   useLayoutEffect(() => {
     const measureBadgeOverflow = () => {
@@ -711,15 +709,11 @@ export const ActivityCard = ({
       <div className="flex items-start gap-3">
         {/* Artwork */}
         <div className="h-18 w-12 shrink-0 overflow-hidden rounded-sm bg-gray-200 dark:bg-gray-700">
-          {previewImage ? (
+          {item.preview ? (
             <img
-              src={previewImage}
+              src={item.preview}
               alt={`${item.title} cover`}
               className="h-full w-full object-cover object-top"
-              loading="lazy"
-              decoding="async"
-              width={48}
-              height={72}
             />
           ) : (
             <BookFallback />
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/CardView.tsx b/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/CardView.tsx
index 6731139..123fdcf 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/CardView.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/CardView.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import { useState } from 'react';
 import { useSearchMode } from '../../contexts/SearchModeContext';
 import type { Book, ButtonStateInfo } from '../../types';
 import { bookSupportsTargets } from '../../utils/bookTargetLoader';
-import { getSizedCoverUrl } from '../../utils/covers';
 import { BookActionButton } from '../BookActionButton';
 import { BookTargetDropdown } from '../BookTargetDropdown';
 import { DisplayFieldBadges } from '../shared';
@@ -42,11 +41,6 @@ export const CardView = ({
   const [dropdownOpen, setDropdownOpen] = useState(false);
   const targetProvider = book.provider;
   const targetBookId = book.provider_id;
-  const isSquareCover = book.cover_aspect === 'square';
-  const optimizedPreview = getSizedCoverUrl(book.preview, {
-    width: 292,
-    height: isSquareCover ? 292 : 438,
-  });
   let zIndex: number | undefined;
   if (dropdownOpen) {
     zIndex = 20;
@@ -103,7 +97,7 @@ export const CardView = ({
               #{book.series_position}
             </div>
           )}
-          {optimizedPreview && !imageError ? (
+          {book.preview && !imageError ? (
             <>
               {!imageLoaded && (
                 <div className="absolute inset-0">
@@ -111,13 +105,10 @@ export const CardView = ({
                 </div>
               )}
               <img
-                src={optimizedPreview}
+                src={book.preview}
                 alt={book.title || 'Book cover'}
                 className="h-full w-full"
                 loading="lazy"
-                decoding="async"
-                width={292}
-                height={isSquareCover ? 292 : 438}
                 style={{
                   opacity: imageLoaded ? 1 : 0,
                   transition: 'opacity 0.3s ease-in-out',
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/CompactView.tsx b/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/CompactView.tsx
index 6cb4de9..c745ab5 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/CompactView.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/CompactView.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import { useState } from 'react';
 import { useSearchMode } from '../../contexts/SearchModeContext';
 import type { Book, ButtonStateInfo } from '../../types';
 import { bookSupportsTargets } from '../../utils/bookTargetLoader';
-import { getSizedCoverUrl } from '../../utils/covers';
 import { BookActionButton } from '../BookActionButton';
 import { BookTargetDropdown } from '../BookTargetDropdown';
 import { DisplayFieldBadges, DisplayFieldIcon } from '../shared';
@@ -45,11 +44,6 @@ export const CompactView = ({
   const targetProvider = book.provider;
   const targetBookId = book.provider_id;
   const microphoneField = book.display_fields?.find((field) => field.icon === 'microphone');
-  const isSquareCover = book.cover_aspect === 'square';
-  const optimizedPreview = getSizedCoverUrl(book.preview, {
-    width: 120,
-    height: isSquareCover ? 120 : 180,
-  });
   let zIndex: number | undefined;
   if (dropdownOpen) {
     zIndex = 20;
@@ -103,7 +97,7 @@ export const CompactView = ({
               #{book.series_position}
             </div>
           )}
-          {optimizedPreview && !imageError ? (
+          {book.preview && !imageError ? (
             <>
               {!imageLoaded && (
                 <div className="absolute inset-0">
@@ -111,13 +105,10 @@ export const CompactView = ({
                 </div>
               )}
               <img
-                src={optimizedPreview}
+                src={book.preview}
                 alt={book.title || 'Book cover'}
                 className="h-full w-full"
                 loading="lazy"
-                decoding="async"
-                width={120}
-                height={isSquareCover ? 120 : 180}
                 style={{
                   opacity: imageLoaded ? 1 : 0,
                   transition: 'opacity 0.3s ease-in-out',
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/ListView.tsx b/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/ListView.tsx
index 52f481b..6252acb 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/ListView.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/components/resultsViews/ListView.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import { useSearchMode } from '../../contexts/SearchModeContext';
 import type { Book, ButtonStateInfo, DisplayField } from '../../types';
 import { bookSupportsTargets } from '../../utils/bookTargetLoader';
 import { getFormatColor, getLanguageColor } from '../../utils/colorMaps';
-import { getSizedCoverUrl } from '../../utils/covers';
 import { BookActionButton } from '../BookActionButton';
 import { BookTargetDropdown } from '../BookTargetDropdown';
 import { DisplayFieldIcon, DisplayFieldBadge } from '../shared';
@@ -48,12 +47,8 @@ const ListViewThumbnail = ({
   const [imageError, setImageError] = useState(false);
   const isSquare = coverAspect === 'square';
   const sizeClass = isSquare ? 'w-10 h-10 sm:w-14 sm:h-14' : 'w-7 h-10 sm:w-10 sm:h-14';
-  const optimizedPreview = getSizedCoverUrl(preview, {
-    width: isSquare ? 56 : 40,
-    height: isSquare ? 56 : 56,
-  });
 
-  if (!optimizedPreview || imageError) {
+  if (!preview || imageError) {
     return (
       <div
         className={`${sizeClass} flex items-center justify-center rounded-sm bg-gray-200 text-[8px] font-medium text-gray-500 sm:text-[9px] dark:bg-gray-700 dark:text-gray-300`}
@@ -72,13 +67,10 @@ const ListViewThumbnail = ({
         <div className="absolute inset-0 animate-pulse bg-linear-to-r from-gray-200 via-gray-100 to-gray-200 dark:from-gray-700 dark:via-gray-600 dark:to-gray-700" />
       )}
       <img
-        src={optimizedPreview}
+        src={preview}
         alt={title || 'Book cover'}
         className={`h-full w-full object-cover ${isSquare ? 'object-center' : 'object-top'}`}
         loading="lazy"
-        decoding="async"
-        width={isSquare ? 56 : 40}
-        height={isSquare ? 56 : 56}
         onLoad={() => setImageLoaded(true)}
         onError={() => setImageError(true)}
         style={{ opacity: imageLoaded ? 1 : 0, transition: 'opacity 0.2s ease-in-out' }}
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/tests/covers.test.ts b/src/frontend/src/tests/covers.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index a67cfd6..0000000
--- a/src/frontend/src/tests/covers.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
-import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-
-import { getSizedCoverUrl } from '../utils/covers';
-
-describe('getSizedCoverUrl', () => {
-  it('adds size and format params to local cover proxy URLs', () => {
-    expect(
-      getSizedCoverUrl('/api/covers/book-1?url=abc', {
-        width: 120,
-        height: 180,
-      }),
-    ).toBe('/api/covers/book-1?url=abc&w=120&h=180&format=webp');
-  });
-
-  it('leaves external preview URLs alone', () => {
-    expect(
-      getSizedCoverUrl('https://covers.example.com/book.jpg', {
-        width: 120,
-        height: 180,
-      }),
-    ).toBe('https://covers.example.com/book.jpg');
-  });
-
-  it('preserves absolute proxy URLs', () => {
-    expect(
-      getSizedCoverUrl('https://bookrequest.example.com/api/covers/book-1?url=abc', {
-        width: 56,
-        height: 56,
-        format: 'png',
-      }),
-    ).toBe('https://bookrequest.example.com/api/covers/book-1?url=abc&w=56&h=56&format=png');
-  });
-});
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/utils/covers.ts b/src/frontend/src/utils/covers.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index f2438e1..0000000
--- a/src/frontend/src/utils/covers.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,66 +0,0 @@
-const COVER_PROXY_PATH = '/api/covers/';
-const LOCAL_URL_BASE = 'http://shelfmark.local';
-const DEFAULT_COVER_FORMAT = 'webp';
-const MAX_COVER_DIMENSION = 1024;
-
-type CoverFormat = 'jpeg' | 'png' | 'webp';
-
-interface SizedCoverUrlOptions {
-  width?: number;
-  height?: number;
-  format?: CoverFormat;
-}
-
-const normalizeDimension = (value?: number) => {
-  if (typeof value !== 'number' || !Number.isFinite(value)) {
-    return undefined;
-  }
-
-  const rounded = Math.round(value);
-  if (rounded <= 0) {
-    return undefined;
-  }
-
-  return Math.min(rounded, MAX_COVER_DIMENSION);
-};
-
-export const getSizedCoverUrl = (
-  preview?: string,
-  { width, height, format = DEFAULT_COVER_FORMAT }: SizedCoverUrlOptions = {},
-) => {
-  if (!preview) {
-    return preview;
-  }
-
-  const isRelativeUrl = preview.startsWith('/');
-
-  let url: URL;
-  try {
-    url = new URL(preview, LOCAL_URL_BASE);
-  } catch {
-    return preview;
-  }
-
-  if (!url.pathname.includes(COVER_PROXY_PATH)) {
-    return preview;
-  }
-
-  const normalizedWidth = normalizeDimension(width);
-  const normalizedHeight = normalizeDimension(height);
-
-  if (normalizedWidth !== undefined) {
-    url.searchParams.set('w', String(normalizedWidth));
-  }
-
-  if (normalizedHeight !== undefined) {
-    url.searchParams.set('h', String(normalizedHeight));
-  }
-
-  if (format) {
-    url.searchParams.set('format', format);
-  }
-
-  const search = url.searchParams.toString();
-  const relativeUrl = `${url.pathname}${search ? `?${search}` : ''}${url.hash}`;
-  return isRelativeUrl ? relativeUrl : url.toString();
-};
diff --git a/tests/core/test_image_cache.py b/tests/core/test_image_cache.py
index 3d147dc..27783f0 100644
--- a/tests/core/test_image_cache.py
+++ b/tests/core/test_image_cache.py
@@ -1,25 +1,8 @@
 """Tests for targeted image cache safety and fetch fallbacks."""
 
-from io import BytesIO
-
 import requests
-from PIL import Image
 
-from shelfmark.core.image_cache import (
-    ImageCacheService,
-    build_variant_cache_id,
-    create_image_variant,
-    normalize_variant_dimension,
-    normalize_variant_format,
-)
-
-
-def _make_image_bytes(
-    *, width: int = 400, height: int = 600, image_format: str = "JPEG", color: str = "navy"
-) -> bytes:
-    buffer = BytesIO()
-    Image.new("RGB", (width, height), color=color).save(buffer, format=image_format)
-    return buffer.getvalue()
+from shelfmark.core.image_cache import ImageCacheService
 
 
 def test_is_safe_url_rejects_invalid_ipv6_url() -> None:
@@ -37,58 +20,3 @@ def test_fetch_and_cache_returns_none_on_request_exception(tmp_path, monkeypatch
 
     assert cache.fetch_and_cache("cover-1", "https://example.com/cover.jpg") is None
     assert "cover-1" not in cache._index
-
-
-def test_create_image_variant_resizes_and_transcodes_to_webp() -> None:
-    variant = create_image_variant(
-        _make_image_bytes(),
-        width=120,
-        height=180,
-        image_format="webp",
-    )
-
-    assert variant is not None
-    variant_bytes, content_type = variant
-    assert content_type == "image/webp"
-
-    with Image.open(BytesIO(variant_bytes)) as image:
-        assert image.size == (120, 180)
-
-
-def test_create_image_variant_preserves_aspect_ratio_for_single_dimension() -> None:
-    variant = create_image_variant(
-        _make_image_bytes(),
-        width=120,
-        image_format="jpeg",
-    )
-
-    assert variant is not None
-    variant_bytes, content_type = variant
-    assert content_type == "image/jpeg"
-
-    with Image.open(BytesIO(variant_bytes)) as image:
-        assert image.size == (120, 180)
-
-
-def test_create_image_variant_returns_none_when_no_change_needed() -> None:
-    image_bytes = _make_image_bytes(image_format="WEBP")
-
-    assert create_image_variant(image_bytes, image_format="webp") is None
-
-
-def test_variant_helpers_normalize_requested_variant_values() -> None:
-    assert normalize_variant_dimension("240") == 240
-    assert normalize_variant_dimension("0") is None
-    assert normalize_variant_dimension("99999") == 1024
-    assert normalize_variant_format("jpg") == "jpeg"
-    assert normalize_variant_format("weBp") == "webp"
-    assert normalize_variant_format("gif") is None
-    assert (
-        build_variant_cache_id(
-            "cover-123",
-            width=120,
-            height=180,
-            image_format="webp",
-        )
-        == "cover-123__w120_h180_fwebp"
-    )
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index fb204c5..431e3c7 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -718,39 +718,6 @@ wheels = [
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 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "pillow"
-version = "12.2.0"
-source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
-sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/8c/21/c2bcdd5906101a30244eaffc1b6e6ce71a31bd0742a01eb89e660ebfac2d/pillow-12.2.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:a830b1a40919539d07806aa58e1b114df53ddd43213d9c8b75847eee6c0182b5", size = 46987819, upload-time = "2026-04-01T14:46:17.687Z" }
-wheels = [
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-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "pip"
 version = "26.0.1"
@@ -1373,7 +1340,6 @@ dependencies = [
     { name = "gevent" },
     { name = "gevent-websocket" },
     { name = "gunicorn" },
-    { name = "pillow" },
     { name = "psutil" },
     { name = "python-socketio" },
     { name = "qbittorrent-api" },
@@ -1416,7 +1382,6 @@ requires-dist = [
     { name = "gevent" },
     { name = "gevent-websocket" },
     { name = "gunicorn" },
-    { name = "pillow", specifier = ">=11.0.0" },
     { name = "psutil" },
     { name = "pyautogui", marker = "extra == 'browser'" },
     { name = "python-socketio" },