A naïve print showing the apotheosis of Nelson. At the point of death following the fatal shot, he is shown in a large scallop-shell-shaped carriage drawn by two of the hippocampi which drew Neptune’s chariot. They are shown wild-eyed with their tails swirling in the maelstrom of water. Nelson is supported by Neptune who bears a triton and holds Nelson’s left hand in his own. With his right hand Neptune accepts the palm of victory from one of a pair of putti, while the other holds a banner and plays a trumpet. The Battle of Trafalgar is waged in the distance towards the horizon. In the foreground on the left, a sea nymph holds a banner with the names of some of those vanquished by Nelson, while on the right are three nereids. Two hold the names of Nelson’s sea battles, Nile and Copenhagen and the third holds Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar, ‘Victory’.

This crudely drawn print, drawing on the iconography and symbolism of fine art to convey Nelson’s death, was published a year after his death at Trafalgar. Many similar images were reproduced cheaply and in great numbers for a mass market: see also PAD5754, ‘Lord Nelson Receiving His Death Wound’.