diff --git a/docs/configuration.rst b/docs/configuration.rst
index 7fd569e3..7ffdb6b4 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.rst
+++ b/docs/configuration.rst
@@ -5288,6 +5288,16 @@ Description
     The value must be between 10 and 500.
 
 
+extractor.wikimedia.subcategories
+---------------------------------
+Type
+    ``bool``
+Default
+    ``true``
+Description
+    For ``Category:`` pages, recursively descent into subcategories.
+
+
 extractor.ytdl.cmdline-args
 ---------------------------
 Type
diff --git a/docs/gallery-dl.conf b/docs/gallery-dl.conf
index 0ad87c0f..f907a5b5 100644
--- a/docs/gallery-dl.conf
+++ b/docs/gallery-dl.conf
@@ -905,7 +905,8 @@
         "wikimedia":
         {
             "sleep-request": "1.0-2.0",
-            "limit": 50
+            "limit": 50,
+            "subcategories": true
         },
 
         "booru":
diff --git a/gallery_dl/extractor/wikimedia.py b/gallery_dl/extractor/wikimedia.py
index 4eae5375..3b23f3a8 100644
--- a/gallery_dl/extractor/wikimedia.py
+++ b/gallery_dl/extractor/wikimedia.py
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ class WikimediaExtractor(BaseExtractor):
 
     @staticmethod
     def prepare(image):
-        """Adjust the content of a image object"""
+        """Adjust the content of an image object"""
         image["metadata"] = {
             m["name"]: m["value"]
             for m in image["metadata"] or ()}
@@ -80,6 +80,14 @@ class WikimediaExtractor(BaseExtractor):
             yield Message.Directory, image
             yield Message.Url, image["url"], image
 
+        if self.subcategories:
+            base = self.root + "/wiki/"
+            self.params["gcmtype"] = "subcat"
+            for subcat in self._pagination(self.params):
+                url = base + subcat["title"].replace(" ", "_")
+                subcat["_extractor"] = WikimediaArticleExtractor
+                yield Message.Queue, url, subcat
+
     def _pagination(self, params):
         """
         https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Query
@@ -208,6 +216,8 @@ class WikimediaArticleExtractor(WikimediaExtractor):
             self.subcategory = prefix
 
         if prefix == "category":
+            self.subcategories = \
+                True if self.config("subcategories", True) else False
             self.params = {
                 "generator": "categorymembers",
                 "gcmtitle" : path,
@@ -215,10 +225,12 @@ class WikimediaArticleExtractor(WikimediaExtractor):
                 "gcmlimit" : self.per_page,
             }
         elif prefix == "file":
+            self.subcategories = False
             self.params = {
                 "titles"   : path,
             }
         else:
+            self.subcategories = False
             self.params = {
                 "generator": "images",
                 "gimlimit" : self.per_page,
diff --git a/test/results/wikimediacommons.py b/test/results/wikimediacommons.py
index b61a9061..f2a262cd 100644
--- a/test/results/wikimediacommons.py
+++ b/test/results/wikimediacommons.py
@@ -21,4 +21,24 @@ __tests__ = (
     "#class"   : wikimedia.WikimediaArticleExtractor,
 },
 
+{
+    "#url"     : "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ivan_Shishkin",
+    "#comment" : "subcategories",
+    "#category": ("wikimedia", "wikimediacommons", "category"),
+    "#class"   : wikimedia.WikimediaArticleExtractor,
+    "#options" : {"image-filter": "False"},
+
+    "#urls": (
+        "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:3558_Shishkin",
+        "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Drawings_by_Ivan_Shishkin",
+        "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ivan_Shishkin_grave",
+        "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ivan_Shishkin_in_art",
+        "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ivan_Shishkin._To_the_190th_anniversary_of_the_birth",
+        "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_by_Ivan_Shishkin",
+        "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Shishkin_street_(Martyshkino)",
+        "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Shishkin_street,_Moscow",
+        "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Shishkin's_Pine",
+    ),
+},
+
 )