[Shenlug] Loading text content first on a web page

[Harvey Ussery]

I could use some input on a major design decision re website update:

I want a page to load fast, out of consideration for users on dialup 
(like me), but I'm starting to add lots of photos. So it makes sense to 
load thumbnails into pages instead of full images, giving faster load 
time. User has the option of clicking thumbnail & getting the larger 
image, but at the inconvenience of loading the big image as a separate step.

I would prefer including the larger images in the page itself *if* that 
doesn't cause big delays for the user. Is there a way I can have *all* 
the text on the page load first, then the images?

I'm not really talking about "progressive" loading of images--that's a 
separate (and relatively minor) issue. I'm talking about getting all the 
text up instantaneously, and only then start loading the images (which 
initially are only indicated by placeholders).

I've seen this behavior on some web sites. Can someone point me to a 
source for learning how to code for it? Can it be done with CSS only, or 
is Javascript required?

Many thanks if you can help.

~Harvey