diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/back.svg b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/back.svg
index a933ef8cdf50..0c2d653cbe8f 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/back.svg
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/back.svg
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ L 33.991875 44.72875
 L 60.703125 44.72875 
 C 63.43375 44.72875 65.144375 42.444375 65.144375 39.8625 
 z
-"/>
+" style="fill:black;"/>
   </g>
  </g>
 </svg>
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/filesave.svg b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/filesave.svg
index ad8372d295de..856721b6b5e2 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/filesave.svg
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/filesave.svg
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ C 6.855625 64.95875 8.491875 66.584375 10.5 66.584375
 L 61.5 66.584375 
 C 63.508125 66.584375 65.144375 64.95875 65.144375 62.94 
 z
-"/>
+" style="fill:black;"/>
   </g>
  </g>
 </svg>
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/forward.svg b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/forward.svg
index 1f4071360680..08b6fe174602 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/forward.svg
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/forward.svg
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ C 30.645 66.4675 31.866875 66.99875 33.1525 66.99875
 C 34.438125 66.99875 35.691875 66.4675 36.605625 65.59625 
 L 61.30875 40.893125 
 C 62.2225 39.979375 62.71125 38.725625 62.71125 37.44 
-"/>
+" style="fill:black;"/>
   </g>
  </g>
 </svg>
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/help.svg b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/help.svg
index 484bdbcbf659..260528d607aa 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/help.svg
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/help.svg
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ C 42.486563 52.0175 43.134687 51.029375 43.134687 50.19
 C 43.134687 49.095625 44.537188 46.47125 46.779063 45.185625 
 C 50.380938 43.166875 55.279063 40.404375 55.279063 33.19 
 z
-"/>
+" style="fill:black;"/>
   </g>
  </g>
 </svg>
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/home.svg b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/home.svg
index 3c4ccce3ed1f..db140d43d156 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/home.svg
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/home.svg
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ C 62.482813 46.47125 62.748438 46.545625 63.056562 46.545625
 C 63.088437 46.545625 63.130938 46.545625 63.173438 46.545625 
 C 63.470938 46.51375 63.779063 46.354375 63.970313 46.13125 
 z
-"/>
+" style="fill:black;"/>
   </g>
  </g>
 </svg>
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/move.svg b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/move.svg
index aa7198cf72df..f7e23ab0451c 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/move.svg
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/move.svg
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ C 55.433125 48.49 56.5275 49.584375 57.855625 49.584375
 C 58.50375 49.584375 59.109375 49.31875 59.56625 48.861875 
 L 69.2775 39.150625 
 C 69.734375 38.69375 70 38.088125 70 37.44 
-"/>
+" style="fill:black;"/>
   </g>
  </g>
 </svg>
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/qt4_editor_options.svg b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/qt4_editor_options.svg
index 0b46bf80923e..02adfbc4ae11 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/qt4_editor_options.svg
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/qt4_editor_options.svg
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ L 63.3275 27.123125
 L 67.9175 31.713125 
 C 68.714375 32.51 70 31.93625 70 30.87375 
 z
-"/>
+" style="fill:black;"/>
   </g>
  </g>
 </svg>
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/subplots.svg b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/subplots.svg
index e87d2c9b1b19..9a0fa90972ff 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/subplots.svg
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/subplots.svg
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ L 32.355625 18.0175
 L 32.355625 22.873125 
 L 65.144375 22.873125 
 z
-"/>
+" style="fill:black;"/>
   </g>
  </g>
 </svg>
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/zoom_to_rect.svg b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/zoom_to_rect.svg
index f4b69b23c5eb..44e59a8a4fdc 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/zoom_to_rect.svg
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/mpl-data/images/zoom_to_rect.svg
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ C 36.525937 59.300937 41.838437 57.664687 46.279687 54.594062
 L 59.295313 67.577812 
 C 60.166562 68.480937 61.420313 69.012187 62.716563 69.012187 
 C 65.372813 69.012187 67.572187 66.812812 67.572187 64.156562 
-"/>
+" style="fill:black;"/>
   </g>
  </g>
 </svg>
diff --git a/tools/make_icons.py b/tools/make_icons.py
index 0424c0d03dad..f09d40e92256 100755
--- a/tools/make_icons.py
+++ b/tools/make_icons.py
@@ -36,8 +36,18 @@ def get_fontawesome():
     return cached_path
 
 
-def save_icon(fig, dest_dir, name):
-    fig.savefig(dest_dir / (name + '.svg'))
+def save_icon(fig, dest_dir, name, add_black_fg_color):
+    if add_black_fg_color:
+        # Add explicit black foreground color to monochromatic svg icons
+        # so it can be replaced by backends to add dark theme support
+        svg_bytes_io = BytesIO()
+        fig.savefig(svg_bytes_io, format='svg')
+        svg = svg_bytes_io.getvalue()
+        before, sep, after = svg.rpartition(b'\nz\n"')
+        svg = before + sep + b' style="fill:black;"' + after
+        (dest_dir / (name + '.svg')).write_bytes(svg)
+    else:
+        fig.savefig(dest_dir / (name + '.svg'))
     fig.savefig(dest_dir / (name + '.pdf'))
     for dpi, suffix in [(24, ''), (48, '_large')]:
         fig.savefig(dest_dir / (name + suffix + '.png'), dpi=dpi)
@@ -102,9 +112,9 @@ def make_icons():
     font_path = get_fontawesome()
     for name, ccode in icon_defs:
         fig = make_icon(font_path, ccode)
-        save_icon(fig, args.dest_dir, name)
+        save_icon(fig, args.dest_dir, name, True)
     fig = make_matplotlib_icon()
-    save_icon(fig, args.dest_dir, 'matplotlib')
+    save_icon(fig, args.dest_dir, 'matplotlib', False)
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":