This old rusty pitcher pump was manufactured by the W. & B. Douglas Company, Middletown, CT in the 19th century. The Company made water pumps, hydraulic rams, cannons, hand fire engines and fire hydrants. The Sears, Roebuck and Company 1897 catalog priced similar pumps at $1.55!

A pitcher pump lifts water by moving a plunger up and down in a pump cylinder that is housed within the pump body. The pump cylinder is connected to a pipe that extends down into the well.. Because it relies on suction to lift water, a pitcher pump can only lift water from shallow depths. To develop suction the pump cylinder must be filled with water. A bucket of water would be filled after each use to have a supply of water to fill the cylinder ("prime the pump") the next time it would be used. The expression "kicked the bucket" as a synonym for death has its origin in the use of this type of pump.