Imagine what moments in history comets have glimpsed as they pass by.
Come into the Special Collections Reading Room and join National Library Director of Exhibitions, Guy Hansen, for the third video in this series featuring images from the Library's cartoon collection. This video features Passing events, or, The tail of the comet of 1853, designed and etched by George Cruikshank, with Guy delving into the events the Klinkerfues Comet (1853) may have witnessed as it sped past 167 years ago.
If you love cartoons as much as Guy, you can learn more about the cartoons in the Library’s collection in Inked: Australian Cartoons, available through the National Library Bookshop.

Want to see more of the Library's cartoon collections?

Watch the first and second videos in the series now: Cripes! The cartoons of Australia and Uprising! One of the oldest cartoons in the National Library.

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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