diff --git a/Packages/vcs/Lib/Canvas.py b/Packages/vcs/Lib/Canvas.py
index 91ea3921a1..4fca9f07ca 100644
--- a/Packages/vcs/Lib/Canvas.py
+++ b/Packages/vcs/Lib/Canvas.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 #               landscape (width exceeding height), portrait (height exceeding#
 #               width), or full-screen mode.                                  #
 #                                                                             #
-# Version:      4.0                                                           #
+# Version: 2.4                                                          #
 #                                                                             #
 ###############################################################################
 
@@ -4462,13 +4462,13 @@ def landscape(self, width=-99, height=-99, x=-99, y=-99, clear=0):
         if (self.orientation() == 'landscape'):
             return
 
-        if (((not isinstance(width, IntType))) or ((not isinstance(height, IntType))) or
-                ((not isinstance(x, IntType))) or ((not isinstance(y, IntType))) or
+        if (((not isinstance(width, int))) or ((not isinstance(height, int))) or
+                ((not isinstance(x, int))) or ((not isinstance(y, int))) or
                 ((width != -99) and (width < 0)) or ((height != -99) and (height < 0)) or
                 ((x != -99) and (x < 0)) or ((y != -99) and (y < 0))):
             raise ValueError(
                 'If specified, width, height, x, and y must be integer values greater than or equal to 0.')
-        if (((not isinstance(clear, IntType))) and (clear not in [0, 1])):
+        if (((not isinstance(clear, int))) and (clear not in [0, 1])):
             raise ValueError(
                 "clear must be: 0 - 'the default value for not clearing the canvas' or 1 - 'for clearing the canvas'.")
 
@@ -4476,7 +4476,7 @@ def landscape(self, width=-99, height=-99, x=-99, y=-99, clear=0):
                 and (x == -99) and (y == -99) and (clear == 0)):
             cargs = ()
             try:
-                dict = self.canvas.canvasinfo(*cargs)
+                dict = self.canvasinfo(*cargs)
             except:
                 dict = {}
             height = dict.get('width', -99)
@@ -4486,7 +4486,7 @@ def landscape(self, width=-99, height=-99, x=-99, y=-99, clear=0):
         self.flush()  # update the canvas by processing all the X events
 
         args = (width, height, x, y, clear)
-        l = self.canvas.landscape(*args)
+        l = self.backend.landscape(*args)
 
         return l
 
@@ -4657,7 +4657,7 @@ def portrait(self, width=-99, height=-99, x=-99, y=-99, clear=0):
                 and (x == -99) and (y == -99) and (clear == 0)):
             cargs = ()
             try:
-                dict = self.canvas.canvasinfo(*cargs)
+                dict = self.canvasinfo(*cargs)
             except:
                 dict = {}
             height = dict.get('width', -99)
diff --git a/Packages/vcs/Lib/VTKPlots.py b/Packages/vcs/Lib/VTKPlots.py
index e9150a2002..e01598e782 100644
--- a/Packages/vcs/Lib/VTKPlots.py
+++ b/Packages/vcs/Lib/VTKPlots.py
@@ -383,15 +383,18 @@ def canvasinfo(self):
         return info
 
     def orientation(self, *args, **kargs):
-        if self.renWin is None:
-            return "landscape"
-        w, h = self.renWin.GetSize()
+        canvas_info = self.canvasinfo()
+        w = canvas_info["width"]
+        h = canvas_info["height"]
         if w > h:
             return "landscape"
         else:
             return "portrait"
 
-    def portrait(self, W, H, x, y, clear):
+    def resize_or_rotate_window(self, W=-99, H=-99, x=-99, y=-99, clear=0):
+        # Resize and position window to the provided arguments except when the
+        # values are default and negative. In the latter case, it should just
+        # rotate the window.
         if clear:
             self.clear()
         if self.renWin is None:
@@ -404,6 +407,14 @@ def portrait(self, W, H, x, y, clear):
                 self.canvas.bgY = W
         else:
             self.renWin.SetSize(W, H)
+            self.canvas.bgX = W
+            self.canvas.bgY = H
+
+    def portrait(self, W=-99, H=-99, x=-99, y=-99, clear=0):
+        self.resize_or_rotate_window(W, H, x, y, clear)
+
+    def landscape(self, W=-99, H=-99, x=-99, y=-99, clear=0):
+        self.resize_or_rotate_window(W, H, x, y, clear)
 
     def initialSize(self):
         # Gets user physical screen dimensions
diff --git a/testing/vcs/CMakeLists.txt b/testing/vcs/CMakeLists.txt
index 34f7eb1e4e..6f93a2de7b 100644
--- a/testing/vcs/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/testing/vcs/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -136,6 +136,10 @@ cdat_add_test(vcs_test_dump_json
   ${cdat_SOURCE_DIR}/testing/vcs/test_dump_json.py
   ${cdat_SOURCE_DIR}/testing/vcs/test_vcs_dump_json.json
   )
+cdat_add_test(vcs_test_background_mode_rotate
+  "${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE}"
+  ${cdat_SOURCE_DIR}/testing/vcs/test_background_mode_rotate.py
+  )
 
 # Some vector plot testing
 FOREACH(angle -180 -135 -90 -45 0 45 135 90 135 )
diff --git a/testing/vcs/test_background_mode_rotate.py b/testing/vcs/test_background_mode_rotate.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..028c044b93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testing/vcs/test_background_mode_rotate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+import vcs
+import numpy
+
+data = numpy.sin(numpy.arange(100))
+data = numpy.reshape(data, (10, 10))
+
+x = vcs.init()
+x.plot(data, bg=1)
+assert x.orientation() == "landscape", "Default canvas orientation failed"
+c = x.canvasinfo()
+assert c['width'] == 814, "Default canvas width failed"
+assert c['height'] == 606, "Default canvas height failed"
+
+x.clear()
+x.portrait()
+x.plot(data, bg=1)
+assert x.orientation() == "portrait", "Portrait canvas orientation failed"
+c = x.canvasinfo()
+assert c['width'] == 606, "Portrait canvas width failed"
+assert c['height'] == 814, "Portrait canvas height failed"
+
+x.clear()
+x.landscape()
+x.plot(data, bg=1)
+assert x.orientation() == "landscape", "Landscape canvas orientation failed"
+c = x.canvasinfo()
+assert c['width'] == 814, "Landscape canvas width failed"
+assert c['height'] == 606, "Landscape canvas height failed"
+
+x.clear()
+x.landscape()
+x.plot(data, bg=1)
+assert x.orientation() == "landscape", "Landscape canvas orientation failed"
+c = x.canvasinfo()
+assert c['width'] == 814, "Landscape canvas width failed"
+assert c['height'] == 606, "Landscape canvas height failed"
+
+x.clear()
+x.portrait()
+x.plot(data, bg=1)
+assert x.orientation() == "portrait", "Portrait canvas orientation failed"
+c = x.canvasinfo()
+assert c['width'] == 606, "Portrait canvas width failed"
+assert c['height'] == 814, "Portrait canvas height failed"