In this black transfer printed scene, a young toff, dressed in stylish royal blue pants an...

In this black transfer printed scene, a young toff, dressed in stylish royal blue pants and green scarf, seems to walk the fine line between the pleasures of gambling and dissipation and their consequences. However as one looks closer, a large tear in his jacket sleeve may indicate that he is already starting to suffer some of the disadvantages of his choices. His fate seems to hang in the balance as ignoring the ominous jail house and stocks, he gestures toward the racetrack in the distance.

The plate is finished with a molded ABC border and red pinstripe around the inner rim and outer rope molded edge.

This Franklin's maxim reads: "Experience Keeps A Dear School, But Fools Will Learn In No O...

This Franklin's maxim reads: "Experience Keeps A Dear School, But Fools Will Learn In No Other."

Noel Riley, Gifts for Good Children, The History of Children's China, 1790-1890 discusses these wares and illustrates this scene (p. 272, il. 1090). The motto and accompanying scene come from a children's picture sheet (similar to today's coloring book or scrap book materials). Originally illustrated by Robert Dighton, this maxim and others were published by Bowles and Carver, London, 1795. Closer examination of the original source material reveals the tear in the young bucks trouser leg as well as the jacket sleeve as depicted on the plate.