diff --git a/include/boost/histogram/axis.hpp b/include/boost/histogram/axis.hpp
index 4105ae99..d5615db7 100644
--- a/include/boost/histogram/axis.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/histogram/axis.hpp
@@ -22,70 +22,67 @@
 namespace boost {
 namespace histogram {
 
-namespace detail {
+template <typename Value>
+struct bin
+{
+  int idx;
+  Value value;
+};
 
+template <>
+struct bin<const std::string&>
+{
+  int idx;
+  boost::string_ref value;
+};
+
+template <typename Value>
+struct real_bin
+{
+  int idx;
+  Value left, right;
+};
+
+template <typename Value>
+using axis_bin = typename std::conditional<
+  std::is_floating_point<Value>::value,
+  real_bin<Value>,
+  bin<Value>
+>::type;
+
+template <typename Axis>
+class axis_iterator : public iterator_facade<
+    axis_iterator<Axis>,
+    const axis_bin<typename Axis::value_type>,
+    random_access_traversal_tag
+  >
+{
+  using bin_type = axis_bin<typename Axis::value_type>;
+
+public:
+  explicit axis_iterator(const Axis& axis, int idx) :
+    axis_(axis), value_()
+  { value_.idx = idx; set_impl(value_); }
+
+private:
+  void increment() { ++value_.idx; set_impl(value_); }
+  void decrement() { --value_.idx; set_impl(value_); }
+  void advance(int n) { value_.idx += n; set_impl(value_); }
+  int distance_to(const axis_iterator& other) const
+  { return other.value_.idx - value_.idx; }
+  bool equal(const axis_iterator& other) const
+  { return value_.idx == other.value_.idx; }
+  const bin_type& dereference() const { return value_; }
   template <typename Value>
-  struct bin
-  {
-    int idx;
-    Value value;
-  };
-
-  template <>
-  struct bin<const std::string&>
-  {
-    int idx;
-    boost::string_ref value;
-  };
-
+  void set_impl(bin<Value>& v)
+  { v.value = axis_[v.idx]; }
   template <typename Value>
-  struct real_bin
-  {
-    int idx;
-    Value left, right;
-  };
-
-  template <typename Value>
-  using axis_bin = typename std::conditional<
-    std::is_floating_point<Value>::value,
-    real_bin<Value>,
-    bin<Value>
-  >::type;
-
-  template <typename Axis>
-  class axis_iterator : public iterator_facade<
-      axis_iterator<Axis>,
-      const axis_bin<typename Axis::value_type>,
-      random_access_traversal_tag
-    >
-  {
-    using bin_type = axis_bin<typename Axis::value_type>;
-
-  public:
-    explicit axis_iterator(const Axis& axis, int idx) :
-      axis_(axis), value_()
-    { value_.idx = idx; set_impl(value_); }
-
-  private:
-    void increment() { ++value_.idx; set_impl(value_); }
-    void decrement() { --value_.idx; set_impl(value_); }
-    void advance(int n) { value_.idx += n; set_impl(value_); }
-    int distance_to(const axis_iterator& other) const
-    { return other.value_.idx - value_.idx; }
-    bool equal(const axis_iterator& other) const
-    { return value_.idx == other.value_.idx; }
-    const bin_type& dereference() const { return value_; }
-    template <typename Value>
-    void set_impl(bin<Value>& v)
-    { v.value = axis_[v.idx]; }
-    template <typename Value>
-    void set_impl(real_bin<Value>& v)
-    { v.left = axis_[v.idx]; v.right = axis_[v.idx + 1]; }
-    const Axis& axis_;
-    bin_type value_;
-    friend class boost::iterator_core_access;
-  };
-} // NS detail
+  void set_impl(real_bin<Value>& v)
+  { v.left = axis_[v.idx]; v.right = axis_[v.idx + 1]; }
+  const Axis& axis_;
+  bin_type value_;
+  friend class boost::iterator_core_access;
+};
 
 /// Common base class for axes.
 template <bool UOFlow>
@@ -204,7 +201,7 @@ template <typename RealType=double>
 class regular_axis: public axis_base<true> {
 public:
   using value_type = RealType;
-  using const_iterator = detail::axis_iterator<regular_axis>;
+  using const_iterator = axis_iterator<regular_axis>;
 
   /** Construct axis with n bins over range [min, max).
     *
@@ -280,7 +277,7 @@ template <typename RealType=double>
 class circular_axis: public axis_base<false> {
 public:
   using value_type = RealType;
-  using const_iterator = detail::axis_iterator<circular_axis>;
+  using const_iterator = axis_iterator<circular_axis>;
 
   /** Constructor for n bins with an optional offset.
     *
@@ -349,7 +346,7 @@ template <typename RealType=double>
 class variable_axis : public axis_base<true> {
 public:
   using value_type = RealType;
-  using const_iterator = detail::axis_iterator<variable_axis>;
+  using const_iterator = axis_iterator<variable_axis>;
 
 	/** Construct an axis from bin edges.
 	  *
@@ -454,7 +451,7 @@ private:
 class integer_axis: public axis_base<true> {
 public:
   using value_type = int;
-  using const_iterator = detail::axis_iterator<integer_axis>;
+  using const_iterator = axis_iterator<integer_axis>;
 
   /** Construct axis over integer range [min, max].
     *
@@ -515,7 +512,7 @@ private:
 class category_axis : public axis_base<false> {
 public:
   using value_type = const std::string&;
-  using const_iterator = detail::axis_iterator<category_axis>;
+  using const_iterator = axis_iterator<category_axis>;
 
   template <typename Iterator>
   category_axis(Iterator begin, Iterator end,
diff --git a/include/boost/histogram/dynamic_histogram.hpp b/include/boost/histogram/dynamic_histogram.hpp
index f9a076e2..d928c0c2 100644
--- a/include/boost/histogram/dynamic_histogram.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/histogram/dynamic_histogram.hpp
@@ -275,6 +275,8 @@ public:
     return axes_[N];
   }
 
+  const axes_type& axes() const { return axes_; }
+
 private:
   axes_type axes_;
   Storage storage_;
diff --git a/include/boost/histogram/histogram_ostream_operators.hpp b/include/boost/histogram/histogram_ostream_operators.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..59d542ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/boost/histogram/histogram_ostream_operators.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+// Copyright 2015-2016 Hans Dembinski
+//
+// Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0.
+// (See accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt
+// or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
+
+#ifndef _BOOST_HISTOGRAM_HISTOGRAM_STREAMER_HPP_
+#define _BOOST_HISTOGRAM_HISTOGRAM_STREAMER_HPP_
+
+#include <boost/histogram/axis.hpp>
+#include <boost/histogram/axis_ostream_operators.hpp>
+#include <boost/histogram/static_histogram.hpp>
+#include <boost/histogram/dynamic_histogram.hpp>
+#include <boost/fusion/algorithm/iteration/for_each.hpp>
+#include <boost/fusion/include/for_each.hpp>
+#include <boost/variant/static_visitor.hpp>
+#include <boost/variant/apply_visitor.hpp>
+#include <ostream>
+
+namespace boost {
+namespace histogram {
+
+namespace detail {
+  struct axis_ostream_visitor : public static_visitor<void> {
+    std::ostream& os_;
+    axis_ostream_visitor(std::ostream& os) : os_(os) {}
+    template <typename Axis>
+    void operator()(const Axis& a) const
+    { os_ << "\n  " << a << ",";  }
+  };
+}
+
+template <typename Axes, typename Storage>
+inline std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, const static_histogram<Axes, Storage>& h)
+{
+    os << "histogram(";
+    detail::axis_ostream_visitor sh(os);
+    fusion::for_each(h.axes(), sh);
+    os << (h.dim() ? "\n)" : ")");
+    return os;
+}
+
+template <typename Axes, typename Storage>
+inline std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, const dynamic_histogram<Axes, Storage>& h)
+{
+    os << "histogram(";
+    detail::axis_ostream_visitor sh(os);
+    for (const auto& a : h.axes())
+        apply_visitor(sh, a);
+    os << (h.dim() ? "\n)" : ")");
+    return os;
+}
+
+} // NS histogram
+} // NS boost
+
+#endif
diff --git a/include/boost/histogram/static_histogram.hpp b/include/boost/histogram/static_histogram.hpp
index 6d2f6ec7..2a45505c 100644
--- a/include/boost/histogram/static_histogram.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/histogram/static_histogram.hpp
@@ -257,6 +257,8 @@ public:
     return fusion::at_c<N>(axes_);
   }
 
+  const axes_type& axes() const { return axes_; }
+
 private:
   axes_type axes_;
   Storage storage_;
diff --git a/src/python/axis.cpp b/src/python/axis.cpp
index 8cf3ed48..bdf99627 100644
--- a/src/python/axis.cpp
+++ b/src/python/axis.cpp
@@ -93,19 +93,7 @@ category_axis_init(python::tuple args, python::dict kwargs) {
 template <typename T>
 int
 axis_len(const T& t) {
-    return t.bins() + 1;
-}
-
-template <>
-int
-axis_len(const category_axis& t) {
-    return t.bins();
-}
-
-template <>
-int
-axis_len(const integer_axis& t) {
-    return t.bins();
+    return t.bins() + int(std::is_floating_point<typename T::value_type>::value);
 }
 
 template <typename T>
diff --git a/src/python/histogram.cpp b/src/python/histogram.cpp
index 59ff392f..697fc3fc 100644
--- a/src/python/histogram.cpp
+++ b/src/python/histogram.cpp
@@ -9,9 +9,12 @@
 #include <boost/histogram/dynamic_histogram.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/utility.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/serialization.hpp>
+#include <boost/histogram/histogram_ostream_operators.hpp>
 #include <boost/python.hpp>
 #include <boost/python/raw_function.hpp>
 #include <boost/shared_ptr.hpp>
+#include <boost/variant/static_visitor.hpp>
+#include <boost/variant/apply_visitor.hpp>
 #ifdef HAVE_NUMPY
 # define NO_IMPORT_ARRAY
 # define PY_ARRAY_UNIQUE_SYMBOL boost_histogram_ARRAY_API
@@ -29,7 +32,7 @@ namespace histogram {
 struct axis_visitor : public static_visitor<python::object>
 {
   template <typename T>
-  python::object operator()(const T& t) const { return python::object(T(t)); }
+  python::object operator()(const T& t) const { return python::object(t); }
 };
 
 python::object
@@ -252,6 +255,13 @@ histogram_variance(python::tuple args, python::dict kwargs) {
   return object(self.variance(idx + 0, idx + self.dim()));
 }
 
+std::string
+histogram_repr(const dynamic_histogram<>& h) {
+    std::ostringstream os;
+    os << h;
+    return os.str();
+}
+
 struct storage_access {
   static
   python::object
@@ -334,6 +344,8 @@ void register_histogram()
     .def("variance", raw_function(histogram_variance),
        ":param int args: indices of the bin"
        "\n:return: variance estimate for the bin")
+    .def("__repr__", histogram_repr,
+       ":returns: string representation of the histogram")
     .def(self == self)
     .def(self += self)
     .def_pickle(serialization_suite<dynamic_histogram<>>())
diff --git a/test/dynamic_histogram_test.cpp b/test/dynamic_histogram_test.cpp
index 764df664..e32cf802 100644
--- a/test/dynamic_histogram_test.cpp
+++ b/test/dynamic_histogram_test.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <boost/histogram/dynamic_histogram.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/utility.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/axis_ostream_operators.hpp>
+#include <boost/histogram/histogram_ostream_operators.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/serialization.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/storage/adaptive_storage.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/storage/container_storage.hpp>
@@ -540,5 +541,19 @@ int main() {
         BOOST_TEST(a == b);
     }
 
+    // histogram_ostream
+    {
+        auto a = make_dynamic_histogram(regular_axis<>(3, -1, 1, "r"),
+                                        integer_axis(0, 1, "i"));
+        std::ostringstream os;
+        os << a;
+        BOOST_TEST_EQ(os.str(),
+            "histogram("
+            "\n  regular_axis(3, -1, 1, label='r'),"
+            "\n  integer_axis(0, 1, label='i'),"
+            "\n)"
+        );
+    }
+
     return boost::report_errors();
 }
diff --git a/test/static_histogram_test.cpp b/test/static_histogram_test.cpp
index 507f25e4..12704aec 100644
--- a/test/static_histogram_test.cpp
+++ b/test/static_histogram_test.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <boost/histogram/storage/container_storage.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/storage/adaptive_storage.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/utility.hpp>
+#include <boost/histogram/histogram_ostream_operators.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/axis_ostream_operators.hpp>
 #include <boost/histogram/serialization.hpp>
 #include <boost/archive/text_oarchive.hpp>
@@ -539,5 +540,19 @@ int main() {
         BOOST_TEST(a == b);
     }
 
+    // histogram_ostream
+    {
+        auto a = make_static_histogram(regular_axis<>(3, -1, 1, "r"),
+                                       integer_axis(0, 1, "i"));
+        std::ostringstream os;
+        os << a;
+        BOOST_TEST_EQ(os.str(),
+            "histogram("
+            "\n  regular_axis(3, -1, 1, label='r'),"
+            "\n  integer_axis(0, 1, label='i'),"
+            "\n)"
+        );
+    }
+
     return boost::report_errors();
 }