diff --git a/picard/item.py b/picard/item.py
index cdf2ce0e0..a5ee649bf 100644
--- a/picard/item.py
+++ b/picard/item.py
@@ -229,16 +229,14 @@ class MetadataItem(Item):
         Args:
             added_sources: List of child objects (`Track` or `File`) which's metadata images should be added to current object
         """
-        from picard.util.imagelist import _add_images
-
         state = self._get_imagelist_state()
         (added_new_images, added_orig_images) = state.get_metadata_images(added_sources)
         changed = False
 
         if state.update_new_metadata:
-            changed |= _add_images(self.metadata, added_new_images)
+            changed |= self.metadata.add_images(added_new_images)
         if state.update_orig_metadata:
-            changed |= _add_images(self.orig_metadata, added_orig_images)
+            changed |= self.orig_metadata.add_images(added_orig_images)
 
         return changed
 
diff --git a/picard/metadata.py b/picard/metadata.py
index 0b62b8208..5129d97cc 100644
--- a/picard/metadata.py
+++ b/picard/metadata.py
@@ -586,6 +586,18 @@ class Metadata(MutableMapping):
     def __str__(self):
         return ("store: %r\ndeleted: %r\nimages: %r\nlength: %r" % (self._store, self.deleted_tags, [str(img) for img in self.images], self.length))
 
+    def add_images(self, added_images):
+        if not added_images:
+            return False
+
+        current_images = set(self.images)
+        if added_images.isdisjoint(current_images):
+            self.images = ImageList(current_images.union(added_images))
+            self.has_common_images = False
+            return True
+
+        return False
+
 
 class MultiMetadataProxy:
     """
diff --git a/picard/util/imagelist.py b/picard/util/imagelist.py
index 57cda0ee2..c62caef80 100644
--- a/picard/util/imagelist.py
+++ b/picard/util/imagelist.py
@@ -149,19 +149,6 @@ class ImageListState:
                 self.first_orig_obj = False
 
 
-def _add_images(metadata, added_images):
-    if not added_images:
-        return False
-
-    current_images = set(metadata.images)
-    if added_images.isdisjoint(current_images):
-        metadata.images = ImageList(current_images.union(added_images))
-        metadata.has_common_images = False
-        return True
-
-    return False
-
-
 def _remove_images(metadata, sources, removed_images):
     """Removes `removed_images` from metadata `images`, but only if they are not included in `sources`.