This sketchy caricature is signed 'Phiz', the pseudonym of the artist who, most famously, illustrated several of the works of Charles Dickens. It depicts a gentleman who, telescope in hand, has gone outdoors in order to catch a glimpse of a comet, possibly Halley's Comet, which was visible in 1835, or one of the other spectacular comets of the mid-19th century. However, instead of the comet he "sees something else": a woman, possibly his wife, daughter or a maid, climbing a long ladder over the garden wall, over which a man's head can be seen.

Like other prints in the Museum's collection, including 'Marchand des lunettes' (ZBA4477) and 'Looking at the comet till you get a criek in the neck' (ZBA4569), this drawing plays with the satirical notion of astronomical enthusiasts who, keeping their eye on far-distant objects, generally fail to see intrigues that are going on under their noses. In this case, however, the appearance of a comet prompts the gentleman to an unusual night-time excursion and a surprising discovery.