diff --git a/gtsam.h b/gtsam.h
index b9133e49c..1b4fc6e34 100644
--- a/gtsam.h
+++ b/gtsam.h
@@ -2369,6 +2369,7 @@ virtual class NonlinearOptimizer {
   double error() const;
   int iterations() const;
   gtsam::Values values() const;
+  gtsam::NonlinearFactorGraph graph() const;
   gtsam::GaussianFactorGraph* iterate() const;
 };
 
diff --git a/gtsam/nonlinear/NonlinearOptimizer.h b/gtsam/nonlinear/NonlinearOptimizer.h
index 103c231be..9935f44ce 100644
--- a/gtsam/nonlinear/NonlinearOptimizer.h
+++ b/gtsam/nonlinear/NonlinearOptimizer.h
@@ -105,14 +105,17 @@ public:
    */
   const Values& optimizeSafely();
 
-  /// return error
+  /// return error in current optimizer state
   double error() const;
 
-  /// return number of iterations
+  /// return number of iterations in current optimizer state
   size_t iterations() const;
 
-  /// return values
-  const Values& values() const;
+  /// return values in current optimizer state
+  const Values &values() const;
+
+  /// return the graph with nonlinear factors
+  const NonlinearFactorGraph &graph() const { return graph_; }
 
   /// @}