The teal green transfer print depicts a workplace in comic disarray-- one man empties a till while a second sheepish looking rogue slips a parcel under his arm. The alarmed posture of the figure framed by the barn door suggests that he may be their too trusting employer.

While the manufacturer is unknown, the molded daisy and bead border appears with some frequency on earthenware plates of this type.

"Dr. Franklin's Maxims" read
"Not to oversee workmen is to leave them your purse open"

"If you would have a faithful servant and one that you like, serve yourself."

Noel Riley, Gifts for Good Children, The History of Children's China, 1790-1890 discusses these wares. She notes that many of the Franklin's maxims studies are derived from work by eighteenth century artist Robert Dighton. These were originally published in a children's picture sheet in 1795 by Bowles and Carver. While this drawing is several generations removed, the motto and accompanying scene bear some resemblance to the original.