diff --git a/internal/repository/collection_repo.go b/internal/repository/collection_repo.go
index 4a4f018..1f1a3de 100644
--- a/internal/repository/collection_repo.go
+++ b/internal/repository/collection_repo.go
@@ -200,7 +200,10 @@ func (r *CollectionRepo) CollectionsContaining(ctx context.Context, postID, user
 	return ids, rows.Err()
 }
 
-// PostsIn returns the posts (with images + author) inside a collection.
+// PostsIn returns the posts inside a collection, ordered by collection
+// position then added_at. Images are NOT hydrated — call
+// PostRepo.ImagesFor on the returned ids if your caller renders the
+// post visually. The CollectionService.Get path already does this.
 func (r *CollectionRepo) PostsIn(ctx context.Context, collectionID string) ([]model.Post, error) {
 	rows, err := r.pg.Pool.Query(ctx, `
 		SELECT p.id, p.user_id, p.caption, p.source_url, COALESCE(p.source_title, ''),
@@ -234,8 +237,6 @@ func (r *CollectionRepo) PostsIn(ctx context.Context, collectionID string) ([]mo
 	if err := rows.Err(); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("iterate collection posts: %w", err)
 	}
-	// Defer image hydration to caller via PostRepo if needed; for v1 we just
-	// return without images here (the management page can fetch separately).
 	return posts, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/repository/post_repo.go b/internal/repository/post_repo.go
index 52bcd2c..e30fafe 100644
--- a/internal/repository/post_repo.go
+++ b/internal/repository/post_repo.go
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ func (r *PostRepo) FindByID(ctx context.Context, id string) (*model.Post, error)
 		}
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("find post: %w", err)
 	}
-	imgs, err := r.imagesFor(ctx, []string{p.ID})
+	imgs, err := r.ImagesFor(ctx, []string{p.ID})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ func (r *PostRepo) collectPosts(ctx context.Context, total int, query string, ar
 	}
 
 	if len(ids) > 0 {
-		imgs, err := r.imagesFor(ctx, ids)
+		imgs, err := r.ImagesFor(ctx, ids)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, 0, err
 		}
@@ -228,9 +228,12 @@ func (r *PostRepo) collectPosts(ctx context.Context, total int, query string, ar
 	return posts, total, nil
 }
 
-// imagesFor returns a map post_id → [images...] for a batch of post IDs in
-// a single query so we don't N+1 the feed endpoint.
-func (r *PostRepo) imagesFor(ctx context.Context, postIDs []string) (map[string][]model.PostImage, error) {
+// ImagesFor returns a map post_id → [images...] for a batch of post IDs in
+// a single query so we don't N+1 the feed endpoint. Exported because the
+// CollectionService needs to hydrate images onto posts that come back
+// from CollectionRepo.PostsIn (which only joins posts/users — not
+// post_images — to keep that query focused).
+func (r *PostRepo) ImagesFor(ctx context.Context, postIDs []string) (map[string][]model.PostImage, error) {
 	out := make(map[string][]model.PostImage, len(postIDs))
 	if len(postIDs) == 0 {
 		return out, nil
diff --git a/internal/service/social_service.go b/internal/service/social_service.go
index 13507cd..fde2175 100644
--- a/internal/service/social_service.go
+++ b/internal/service/social_service.go
@@ -320,6 +320,23 @@ func (s *CollectionService) Get(ctx context.Context, id, viewerID string) (*mode
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}
+	// PostsIn returns posts without images (single-table boundary). Hydrate
+	// them in one batched query so callers — and the post cards rendered
+	// inside collection carousels — can show the post's first image as
+	// background instead of falling back to the empty quote panel.
+	if len(posts) > 0 {
+		ids := make([]string, len(posts))
+		for i := range posts {
+			ids[i] = posts[i].ID
+		}
+		imgs, err := s.posts.ImagesFor(ctx, ids)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
+		for i := range posts {
+			posts[i].Images = imgs[posts[i].ID]
+		}
+	}
 	return c, posts, nil
 }