diff --git a/python/python/async_tiff/enums.py b/python/python/async_tiff/enums.py
index 724b77b..39b87d8 100644
--- a/python/python/async_tiff/enums.py
+++ b/python/python/async_tiff/enums.py
@@ -1,5 +1,22 @@
+import sys
 from enum import IntEnum
 
+if sys.version_info >= (3, 11):
+    from enum import StrEnum
+else:
+    from enum import Enum
+    class StrEnum(str, Enum):
+        def __str__(self):
+            return str(self.value)
+
+class Endianness(StrEnum):
+    """
+    endianness of the underlying tiff file
+    """
+
+    LittleEndian = "LittleEndian"
+    BigEndian = "BigEndian"
+    
 
 class CompressionMethod(IntEnum):
     """
diff --git a/python/src/enums.rs b/python/src/enums.rs
index 14656bd..2e3a659 100644
--- a/python/src/enums.rs
+++ b/python/src/enums.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,46 @@
-use async_tiff::tiff::tags::{
-    CompressionMethod, PhotometricInterpretation, PlanarConfiguration, Predictor, ResolutionUnit,
-    SampleFormat,
+use async_tiff::{
+    reader::Endianness,
+    tiff::tags::{
+        CompressionMethod, PhotometricInterpretation, PlanarConfiguration, Predictor,
+        ResolutionUnit, SampleFormat,
+    },
 };
 use pyo3::prelude::*;
 use pyo3::types::{PyString, PyTuple};
 use pyo3::{intern, IntoPyObjectExt};
 
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub(crate) struct PyEndianness(Endianness);
+
+impl From<Endianness> for PyEndianness {
+    fn from(value: Endianness) -> Self {
+        Self(value)
+    }
+}
+
+impl From<PyEndianness> for Endianness {
+    fn from(value: PyEndianness) -> Self {
+        value.0
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'py> IntoPyObject<'py> for PyEndianness {
+    type Target = PyAny;
+    type Output = Bound<'py, PyAny>;
+    type Error = PyErr;
+
+    fn into_pyobject(self, py: Python<'py>) -> Result<Self::Output, Self::Error> {
+        // import the python module
+        let enums_mod = py.import(intern!(py, "async_tiff.enums"))?;
+        // get our python enum
+        let enum_cls = enums_mod.getattr(intern!(py, "Endianness"))?;
+        match self.0 {
+            Endianness::LittleEndian => enum_cls.getattr(intern!(py, "LittleEndian")),
+            Endianness::BigEndian => enum_cls.getattr(intern!(py, "BigEndian")),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
 pub(crate) struct PyCompressionMethod(CompressionMethod);
 
diff --git a/python/src/ifd.rs b/python/src/ifd.rs
index c8c59c6..dcbccde 100644
--- a/python/src/ifd.rs
+++ b/python/src/ifd.rs
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ use async_tiff::ImageFileDirectory;
 use pyo3::prelude::*;
 
 use crate::enums::{
-    PyCompressionMethod, PyPhotometricInterpretation, PyPlanarConfiguration, PyPredictor,
-    PyResolutionUnit, PySampleFormat,
+    PyCompressionMethod, PyEndianness, PyPhotometricInterpretation, PyPlanarConfiguration,
+    PyPredictor, PyResolutionUnit, PySampleFormat,
 };
 use crate::geo::PyGeoKeyDirectory;
 use crate::value::PyValue;
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ pub(crate) struct PyImageFileDirectory(ImageFileDirectory);
 
 #[pymethods]
 impl PyImageFileDirectory {
+    #[getter]
+    pub fn endianness(&self) -> PyEndianness {
+        self.0.endianness().into()
+    }
+
     #[getter]
     pub fn new_subfile_type(&self) -> Option<u32> {
         self.0.new_subfile_type()
diff --git a/src/ifd.rs b/src/ifd.rs
index f0da9c1..0dfc6e1 100644
--- a/src/ifd.rs
+++ b/src/ifd.rs
@@ -402,6 +402,11 @@ impl ImageFileDirectory {
         })
     }
 
+    /// The Endianness of the file
+    pub fn endianness(&self) -> Endianness {
+        self.endianness
+    }
+
     /// A general indication of the kind of data contained in this subfile.
     /// <https://web.archive.org/web/20240329145250/https://www.awaresystems.be/imaging/tiff/tifftags/newsubfiletype.html>
     pub fn new_subfile_type(&self) -> Option<u32> {
diff --git a/src/reader.rs b/src/reader.rs
index 06520ec..94090e0 100644
--- a/src/reader.rs
+++ b/src/reader.rs
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ impl AsyncFileReader for ReqwestReader {
 }
 
 /// Endianness
-#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub enum Endianness {
     /// Little Endian
     LittleEndian,