diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index b2735723534..8dfd26f2939 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -408,6 +408,7 @@ answer newbie questions, and generally made Django that much better:
     lerouxb@gmail.com
     Liang Feng <hutuworm@gmail.com>
     limodou
+    Loek van Gent <loek@barakken.nl>
     Loïc Bistuer <loic.bistuer@sixmedia.com>
     Lowe Thiderman <lowe.thiderman@gmail.com>
     Luan Pablo <luanpab@gmail.com>
diff --git a/django/core/management/commands/sendtestemail.py b/django/core/management/commands/sendtestemail.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c0284bb95fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/django/core/management/commands/sendtestemail.py
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+import datetime
+import socket
+
+from django.core.mail import send_mail
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand, CommandError
+
+
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    help = "Sends a test email to the email addresses specified as arguments."
+    args = "<email1 email2 ...>"
+
+    def handle(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        if not args:
+            raise CommandError('You must provide at least one destination email.')
+        send_mail(
+            subject='Test email from %s on %s' % (socket.gethostname(), datetime.datetime.now()),
+            message="If you\'re reading this, it was successful.",
+            from_email=None,
+            recipient_list=args,
+        )
diff --git a/docs/ref/django-admin.txt b/docs/ref/django-admin.txt
index a354bdb0450..e9dbe4b746a 100644
--- a/docs/ref/django-admin.txt
+++ b/docs/ref/django-admin.txt
@@ -875,6 +875,18 @@ By default, the development server doesn't serve any static files for your site
 you want to configure Django to serve static media, read
 :doc:`/howto/static-files/index`.
 
+sendtestemail
+-------------
+
+.. django-admin:: sendtestemail
+
+.. versionadded:: 1.9
+
+Sends a test email (to confirm email sending through Django is working) to the
+recipient(s) specified. For example::
+
+    django-admin sendtestemail foo@example.com bar@example.com
+
 shell
 -----
 
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.9.txt b/docs/releases/1.9.txt
index 20589c8fd6f..bce55085ef7 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.9.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.9.txt
@@ -146,7 +146,8 @@ Internationalization
 Management Commands
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
-* ...
+* The new :djadmin:`sendtestemail` command lets you send a test email to
+  easily confirm that email sending through Django is working.
 
 Models
 ^^^^^^
diff --git a/docs/spelling_wordlist b/docs/spelling_wordlist
index e9fe8cdfec2..78480713fb9 100644
--- a/docs/spelling_wordlist
+++ b/docs/spelling_wordlist
@@ -682,6 +682,7 @@ screenshots
 sdist
 semimajor
 semiminor
+sendtestemail
 serializability
 serializable
 serializer
diff --git a/tests/mail/test_sendtestemail.py b/tests/mail/test_sendtestemail.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7a4203fb754
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/mail/test_sendtestemail.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+
+from django.core import mail
+from django.core.management import call_command
+from django.core.management.base import CommandError
+from django.test import SimpleTestCase
+from django.utils.six import StringIO
+
+
+class SendTestEmailManagementCommand(SimpleTestCase):
+    """
+    Test the sending of a test email using the `sendtestemail` command.
+    """
+
+    def test_send_test_email(self):
+        """
+        The mail is sent with the correct subject and recipient.
+        """
+        recipient = "joe@somewhere.org"
+        call_command("sendtestemail", recipient)
+        self.assertEqual(len(mail.outbox), 1)
+        mail_message = mail.outbox[0]
+        self.assertEqual(mail_message.subject[0:15], 'Test email from')
+        self.assertEqual(mail_message.recipients(), [recipient])
+
+    def test_send_test_email_with_multiple_addresses(self):
+        """
+        The mail may be sent with multiple recipients.
+        """
+        recipients = ["joe@somewhere.org", "jane@elsewhere.net"]
+        call_command("sendtestemail", recipients[0], recipients[1])
+        self.assertEqual(len(mail.outbox), 1)
+        mail_message = mail.outbox[0]
+        self.assertEqual(mail_message.subject[0:15], 'Test email from')
+        self.assertEqual(mail_message.recipients(), recipients)
+
+    def test_send_test_email_missing_recipient(self):
+        """
+        A CommandError is raised if no recipients are specified.
+        """
+        with self.assertRaisesMessage(CommandError, 'You must provide at least one destination email'):
+            call_command("sendtestemail")