Black silhouette on white card in an oval gilded surround set in a rectangular black-lacquered backing board, with a brass suspension ring and hanger of a gilded acorn and oak leaves, top centre. The sitter is shown in left profile, long bust-length, wearing a cocked hat and apparently the 1795-1812 flag-officer's uniform from the visible epaulette, which with other detail is picked out in gold paint. This includes, on the hat, the chelengk given to Nelson by the Sultan of Turkey after the Battle of the Nile in 1798. The title 'Nelson' is written in black, lower right, below the figure.

A blue-edged adhesive label on the lower left corner of the frame reads (in ink) 'Greenwich' and (strengthened in blue ball-point) '187 SS'. This indicates it is from the Sutcliffe-Smith Collection of Nelsoniana. This item is not particularly skilled as a silhouette, nor is the gold highlighting, and it is probably based on another image.