diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 23d9dd00058..918e206168a 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -7,3 +7,4 @@ docs
 *.patch
 .DS_Store
 .settings
+*.sw?
diff --git a/tests/unit/tooltip/tooltip_options.js b/tests/unit/tooltip/tooltip_options.js
index 01ac2504088..0b0043bfaad 100644
--- a/tests/unit/tooltip/tooltip_options.js
+++ b/tests/unit/tooltip/tooltip_options.js
@@ -97,6 +97,32 @@ test( "content: string", function() {
 	}).tooltip( "open" );
 });
 
+test( "content: element", function() {
+	expect( 1 );
+	var content = "<p>This is a <i>test</i> of the emergency broadcast system.</p>"
+	var element = $( content )[ 0 ];
+	$( "#tooltipped1" ).tooltip({
+		content: element,
+		open: function( event, ui ) {
+			// Getting just the contents of the tooltip wrapper.
+			equal( ui.tooltip[ 0 ].firstChild.innerHTML, content );
+		}
+	}).tooltip( "open" );
+});
+
+test( "content: jQuery", function() {
+	expect( 1 );
+	var content = "<p>This is a <i>test</i> of the emergency broadcast system.</p>"
+	var element = $( content );
+	$( "#tooltipped1" ).tooltip({
+		content: element,
+		open: function( event, ui ) {
+			console.log( ui.tooltip );
+			equal( ui.tooltip[ 0 ].firstChild.innerHTML, content );
+		}
+	}).tooltip( "open" );
+});
+
 test( "items", function() {
 	expect( 2 );
 	var event,
diff --git a/ui/jquery.ui.tooltip.js b/ui/jquery.ui.tooltip.js
index 5df93a00245..e516b01baab 100644
--- a/ui/jquery.ui.tooltip.js
+++ b/ui/jquery.ui.tooltip.js
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ $.widget( "ui.tooltip", {
 			that = this,
 			eventType = event ? event.type : null;
 
-		if ( typeof contentOption === "string" ) {
+		if ( typeof contentOption === "string" || contentOption.nodeType || contentOption.jquery ) {
 			return this._open( event, target, contentOption );
 		}