One of a pair of Singleton prints showing sailors on shore. In contrast with ‘Scarcity in India’ which shows two men vying for the attentions of one girl, ‘British Plenty’ shows a single seaman between two girls. They are ostensibly trying to sell him vegetables but their fine dresses indicate that they are prostitutes. One holds a cauliflower and the other a cabbage in her apron. The resemblance between the girls and the vegetables they carry indicate that they themselves are the objects for sale. The left hand girl is wearing a robe à l’anglaise over a muslin skirt and a large mob cap decorated with ribbons. The right hand girl has a Leghorn straw hat and a silk shawl.
The dress of the seaman is shown particularly clearly. He is in shore-going clothes with baggy wool or cotton trousers cut quite narrowly across the ankles and a blue wool jacket. The white lapels of the jacket are also found on officer’s coats at this time. The sleeves have mariner’s cuffs outlined with white piping. The cut of his waistcoat reflects contemporary civilian fashions. He has a white checked shirt in cotton or linen, a tarred straw hat and a coloured silk neckerchief probably imported from India. He holds a bottle of wine. The location of the scene is probably intended to be Portsmouth although the round tower at the entrance to the harbour is not shown accurately.