Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805), 1st Viscount Nelson, KB

This portrait of Admiral Horatio Nelson from 1800, now at Colchester and Ipswich Museums, was painted in the period between Nelson's victories at the Nile (1798) and Copenhagen (1801). Nelson was the most celebrated Briton of his era, and demand for his portrait was insatiable. The portrait reflects Beechey's extensive practice among the English gentry and professional classes, executed with the solid, dependable technique that made him widely trusted across all levels of Georgian society.

Nelson's distinctive features and naval decorations are rendered with precision, the hero's intense gaze conveying the determination that characterized Britain's greatest naval commander.