Silhouette in watercolour on paper in an oval gilt metal surround set in a black-lacquered backing board, with a brass suspension ring and hanger in the form of a spray of leaves, top centre. While the face of the sitter is solid black, the hair and dress is modelled by shading, and a shadow indicated below the image also adds sculptural relief. The sitter is shown bust-length in right profile and he is probably in lieutenant's uniform, though possibly a wide-lapelled civilian jacket. The hair is straight-combed to a rough fringe and there is a queue tightly bound with a ribbon. There are three labels on the reverse: one reads, 'By Watkins. Formerly at Trafalgar House'; the second reads 'Lord Nelson' and the third bears the number '324'.

Though the face is fuller and the nose less distinctive than in later images of Nelson, the apparent provenance of this item gives some authority to its received identification as showing him when young. X-rays of John Rigaud's early oil portrait, BHC2901, started when he was a lieutenant but altered and finished after he returned home as a captain in 1781, also show him quite full-faced before thinned by the tropical fever that nearly killed him on the Nicaragua expedition of 1780. However, if that were the case this silhouette would have been done about the time he was commissioned in April 1777 and before he left England for nearly four years. If so it is unlikely to be by Watkins, who was an early-19th century practitioner: conversely, it may be by Watkins but not of Nelson, or at least not from life. The old attribution to Watkins itself may be a false assumption based on its shared Trafalgar House provenance with MNT0040, which is signed by him.

Trafalgar House was the Wiltshire home and estate bought with the financial rewards for his final services and death at Trafalgar, which devolved on his undeserving elder brother William (also created 1st Earl Nelson). Since William had no surviving son, it subsequently pased into the Bolton branch of the family. Parliament granted £90,000 to purchase the estate, with £5000 a year in perpetuity to the Earls Nelson in perpetuity, until terminated by the British Labour government in 1947. Three years later, on the death of the 4th Earl, the estate and contents of the house were sold. This item was presented to the Museum with MNT0040 in 1964 by Miss Margaret R.N. Harmsworth of Kensington, London, though it is not known if she obtained them at the Trafalgar House sale herself or indirectly.