By default, chat participants' pictures are not shown inside of the chat window. You have the option of making each participants' picture appear next to their name while chatting.
In Gmail:
- Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of Gmail.
- Navigate to the Labs tab.
- Find the Pictures in chat feature.
- Select the Enable radio button.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes.
Note: In Gmail pictures in chat is a Gmail Labs feature. Learn More
In iGoogle and orkut:
- At the bottom of the chat list, click Actions.
- Under Picture options: click Show pictures in chat.