Pussy passed by, and she peeped in

The painting illustrates a line from the nursery rhyme 'Three little mice sat down to spin', depicting a cat peering into a scene where mice are at work.

The work is a watercolour, a medium Potter used for many of her illustrations, showcasing her skill in this delicate technique.

This watercolour was part of a series of six finished paintings for an envisioned booklet based on the nursery rhyme, which was never published.

Potter's work on 'Three little mice sat down to spin' was an early exploration of nursery rhymes, a theme she revisited in later works, such as 'The Tailor of Gloucester'.