In the View menu, you have "Images". By default, it is unchecked, and images are shown. If you click it, it gets a checkmark and images are not shown anymore. Seems like the state between the menu and the feature to turn off image rendering is inverted.
Indeed the name of the menu entry ("Images") is ambiguous in LO 4.4. The problem has been fixed in LO 5 where it is now "Hide images". Closing as WorksForMe. The fix can't be backported to LO 4.4 because it implies a change in the translatable strings in the UI and the Online Help. Best regards. JBF