diff --git a/changes.md b/changes.md
index b11842b2dd..462c033051 100644
--- a/changes.md
+++ b/changes.md
@@ -129,6 +129,8 @@ Changes log
           that readers process it at once; content containing the delimiter is rejected. The
           reader returns parts as they arrive, with a maximum part size. Added the
           `MediaType.MULTIPART_MIXED` constant. Issue #1587.
+        - `EventStreamRepresentation` sends the response head before the first event, so that
+          clients get the status and headers of an idle stream without heartbeats. Issue #1598.
         - Added the experimental `org.restlet.ext.websocket` extension, on HTTP/1.1 upgrades.
           `WebSocketUpgrader` (or `WebSocketUpgrade.accept`) accepts upgrades that went through
           the normal routing, filters and authenticators, and runs a `WebSocketHandler` on its own
diff --git a/org.restlet/src/main/java/org/restlet/representation/EventStreamRepresentation.java b/org.restlet/src/main/java/org/restlet/representation/EventStreamRepresentation.java
index 764fcc8c94..6b40bf865c 100644
--- a/org.restlet/src/main/java/org/restlet/representation/EventStreamRepresentation.java
+++ b/org.restlet/src/main/java/org/restlet/representation/EventStreamRepresentation.java
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ public EventStreamRepresentation(EventWriter writer, Duration heartbeatInterval)
 
     @Override
     public void write(OutputStream outputStream) throws IOException {
+        // Sends the response head now, so that clients get it even if the first event is late.
+        outputStream.flush();
         try (EventSink sink = new EventSink(outputStream)) {
             if (heartbeatInterval == null) {
                 writer.write(sink);
diff --git a/org.restlet/src/test/java/org/restlet/engine/connector/EventStreamConnectorTestCase.java b/org.restlet/src/test/java/org/restlet/engine/connector/EventStreamConnectorTestCase.java
index d264cba544..6dcd85db08 100644
--- a/org.restlet/src/test/java/org/restlet/engine/connector/EventStreamConnectorTestCase.java
+++ b/org.restlet/src/test/java/org/restlet/engine/connector/EventStreamConnectorTestCase.java
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 
 import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.http.HttpClient;
+import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
+import java.net.http.HttpResponse;
 import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
@@ -69,6 +73,16 @@ void flushesEventsBeforeTheResourceCompletesOverHttp2() throws Exception {
         assertStreamsBeforeCompletion(true);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void sendsTheResponseHeadBeforeTheFirstEventOverHttp11() throws Exception {
+        assertHeadBeforeFirstEvent(false);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void sendsTheResponseHeadBeforeTheFirstEventOverHttp2() throws Exception {
+        assertHeadBeforeFirstEvent(true);
+    }
+
     @Test
     void enforcesTheConfiguredOpenStreamLimit() throws Exception {
         CountDownLatch firstStreamStarted = new CountDownLatch(1);
@@ -219,6 +233,71 @@ public void handle(Request request, Response response) {
         }
     }
 
+    private void assertHeadBeforeFirstEvent(boolean http2) throws Exception {
+        CountDownLatch sendEvent = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        Restlet restlet =
+                new Restlet() {
+                    @Override
+                    public void handle(Request request, Response response) {
+                        response.setEntity(
+                                new EventStreamRepresentation(
+                                        sink -> {
+                                            // An idle stream, without heartbeats
+                                            try {
+                                                if (!sendEvent.await(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS)) {
+                                                    throw new java.io.IOException(
+                                                            "Timed out waiting to send the event");
+                                                }
+                                            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                                                Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+                                                throw new java.io.IOException(
+                                                        "Interrupted while awaiting an event", e);
+                                            }
+                                            sink.send(
+                                                    ServerSentEvent.builder().data("late").build());
+                                        }));
+                    }
+                };
+        Context serverContext = new Context();
+        if (http2) {
+            serverContext.getParameters().add("http.transport.protocol", "HTTP2");
+        }
+        server = new Server(serverContext, Protocol.HTTP, 0, restlet);
+        server.start();
+
+        // The JDK client returns the response as soon as its head arrives, before any body byte
+        try (HttpClient jdkClient =
+                HttpClient.newBuilder()
+                        .version(http2 ? HttpClient.Version.HTTP_2 : HttpClient.Version.HTTP_1_1)
+                        .build()) {
+            HttpRequest request =
+                    HttpRequest.newBuilder(
+                                    URI.create("http://localhost:" + server.getActualPort() + "/"))
+                            .build();
+            HttpResponse<InputStream> response =
+                    jdkClient
+                            .sendAsync(request, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofInputStream())
+                            .get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+            assertEquals(200, response.statusCode());
+            assertEquals(
+                    http2 ? HttpClient.Version.HTTP_2 : HttpClient.Version.HTTP_1_1,
+                    response.version());
+            assertTrue(
+                    response.headers()
+                            .firstValue("Content-Type")
+                            .orElseThrow()
+                            .startsWith(MediaType.TEXT_EVENT_STREAM.getName()));
+
+            sendEvent.countDown();
+            try (EventStreamReader reader = new EventStreamReader(response.body())) {
+                assertEquals("late", reader.readEvent().getData());
+                assertNull(reader.readEvent());
+            }
+        } finally {
+            sendEvent.countDown();
+        }
+    }
+
     private void assertStreamsBeforeCompletion(boolean http2) throws Exception {
         CountDownLatch firstEventSent = new CountDownLatch(1);
         CountDownLatch continueWriting = new CountDownLatch(1);