In 1874 he sat as a model for John Everett Millais as he painted the picture "The North-West Passage". This picture depicted an old sailor declaring that England would find a way through the Northwest Passage. Millais had seen Trelawny at the funeral of John Leech years before and decided that he would make the perfect figure for the drawing. Trelawny initially liked the picture, but he was angered when he saw that Millais had included a glass of grog in the picture. It was ultimately well received by critics.