A young man formerly identified as John Scott (d. 1805)

Rectangular miniature in watercolour and gouache on ivory. It has a gilt frame from which it is separated and which bears an engraved plaque identifying the sitter as Nelson's secretary, with another (detached) inscribed 'Miniature of John Scott' / Lord Nelson's Secretary / The first officer of HMS Victory / To be killed at Trafalgar'. The subject is a young man, shown head and shoulders, facing forward, with his left arm hooked over the back of the upright wooden chair on which he is sitting, against a reddish-brown background. He has light brown wavy hair, cut short, and hazel eyes, and he wears a blue coat with brass buttons. His neckcloth is unusual in having a brown and black striped pattern on white, rather than just plain white.

This miniature was acquired as Scott in 1978, from the Malcolm Stewart collection, but the only authority for its identification are the inscriptions. The clothing disproves this, being from at least 1820 and probably a little later, as indicated by the gathered and puffed shoulders, the roll collar, the way the cravat is tied, and the fact that the collar of the waistocat is stand-up rather than turn-down. It is not known if Scott had a son, which might account for a confusion of identity, or if this due to some other error or a deliberate deceit. Scott (not an 'officer' ) was Nelson's secretary for general public correspondence in the 'Victory' from May 1803 on. He had formerly been purser of the 'Royal Sovereign' and was appointed by Nelson at the sizeable salary of £300 a year. At the start of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 he was cut in two on the ship's quarterdeck by one of the first few enemy shot that came on board. His remains were quickly dropped over the side, as was normal in action but, when Nelson was shot over an hour later, he fell in Scott's blood which still stains the clothes he was wearing (see UNI0021, UNI0024). Little else is known of Scott, though the Museum has a few personal papers,1803-05, including a letter to his wife Charlotte (AGC/26/3), his telescope (NAV1560) and a sword that may have been his (WPN1195), all from a family source. The quality of the miniature suggests it may be amateur work, but being on ivory perhaps indicates it is just a low-end professional hand. It could have been done on board ship: drawings by Lieutenant Gabriel Bray, 30 years earlier on the 'Pallas', include portraits in similar upright chairs (e.g. PAJ2017) but that is incidental. Nor does the fact that the sitter wears a blue coat with brass buttons prove a naval connection, since these were common enough ashore.