Scarcity in India. Paired with the print British Plenty. 1794. Coloured stipple engraving

Pairs of paintings and their less expensive counterparts – pairs of engravings – were characteristic of the Age of Enlightenment, which appreciated instructive works. They provided an opportunity to depict related events, make comparisons and establish contrasts.
This engraving, like its pair British Plenty, deals with the topic of love for sale. The fact that the hairdo of the book’s Indian maiden is reminiscent of a pineapple alludes to the fact that she herself is considered to be a commodity.
However, in the pair to this work, a seaman is tempted by English vegetable sellers. The women’s sumptuous clothing also refers to their successful “business”. Together, the pictures indicate that there is less impropriety in pagan India than in Christian England.

Charles Knight (1743 – after 1825) was an English graphic artist who worked in London and was one of the greatest representatives of the coloured stippling technique in England.
Henry Singleton (1766–1839), who painted the picture on which the engraving was based, was also a painter and graphic artist who worked in London, and a developer of the new technique of lithography.