ClipArt ETC
"A device for raising water, said to have been invented by Archimedes."-Whitney, 1902

Archimedean Screw

"A device for raising water, said to have been invented by Archimedes."-Whitney, 1902

A boring in the ground through which currents of water rise from various depths toward or above the surface.

Artesian Well

A boring in the ground through which currents of water rise from various depths toward or above the…

An artesian well is a confined aquifer whose water is pressurized. Water will thus flow out of an artesian well without pumping.

Artesian Wells

An artesian well is a confined aquifer whose water is pressurized. Water will thus flow out of an artesian…

A child and a bucket.

Bucket

A child and a bucket.

"The chain-pump consists of a tube or cylinder, the lower part of which is immersed in a well or reservoir, and the upper part enters the bottom of a cistern into which the water is to be raised. A chain is carried round a wheel at the top, and is furnished at equal distances with movable bottoms, which fit water-tight in the tube. As the wheel revolves, they successively enter the tube, and carry the water up before them, which is discharged into the cistern at the top of the tube." — Wells, 1857

Chain-Pump

"The chain-pump consists of a tube or cylinder, the lower part of which is immersed in a well or reservoir,…

Children turning crank at the well.

Children turning crank

Children turning crank at the well.

"Ding, dong, bell, Pussy's in the well."

Ding, Dong, Bell

"Ding, dong, bell, Pussy's in the well."

"Ding, dong, bell, Pussy's in the well."

Ding, Dong, Bell

"Ding, dong, bell, Pussy's in the well."

A horse drinking from a trough next to a well. An old woman is tending to the chickens and children.

Horse Drinking

A horse drinking from a trough next to a well. An old woman is tending to the chickens and children.

An attractive farm home, with barn nearby.

Farmhouse

An attractive farm home, with barn nearby.

Three horses drinking water from a well.

Horses

Three horses drinking water from a well.

Insects working as a team to collect ice cubes from a well.

Insect Ice

Insects working as a team to collect ice cubes from a well.

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill fell tumbling after.

Jack and Jill

Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill fell tumbling after.

"And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother." Genesis 29:10KJV

Jacob Meeting Rachel

"And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep…

"Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened unto him. And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt." Genesis 37:27-28 ASV Illustration of Joseph being pulled away by the Ishmaelites as his brothers collect the silver they are owed. The cistern can be seen in the foreground, with a rope coming up out of the opening. A man is in the distant background (left), possibly Reuben. Three of the brothers take part in the money exchange. Two brothers sit nearby, one holds a cloak. Several goats, including a kid, sit and stand nearby. Camels wait in the background.

Joseph's Brother Sell Him into Slavery after Pulling Him Out of the Cistern

"Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother,…

This illustration shows how putrefying animal matters from a leaky drain and an overflowing cess-pool soak diagonally into the well and contaminate the well-water, which is pumped up and used by the family without, perhaps, a thought of danger from this terrible sanitary defect.

Leaky Drain

This illustration shows how putrefying animal matters from a leaky drain and an overflowing cess-pool…

A man drinking water from a well.

Man drinking from well

A man drinking water from a well.

"The Nativity. By Albrecht Dürer. From the engraving on copper." -Heath, 1901

The Nativity

"The Nativity. By Albrecht Dürer. From the engraving on copper." -Heath, 1901

One of the curbs or heads of the cisterns which are filled with water from the neighboring mainland.

Pozzo

One of the curbs or heads of the cisterns which are filled with water from the neighboring mainland.

"Puteal, properly means the enclosure surrounding the opening of a well, to protect persons from falling into it. It was either round or square, and seems usually to have been of the height of three or four feet from the ground. It was the practice in some cases to surround a sacred place with an enclosure open at the top, and such enclosres, from the great similarity they bore to putealia, were called by this name. there were two such places in the Roman forum; one of these was called Puteal Libonis or Scribonianum, because a chapel in that place had been struck by lightning, and Scribonius Libo expiated it by proper ceremonies, and erected a puteal around it, open at the top, to preserve the memory of the place. The form of the puteal is preserved on several coins of the Scribonian gens. This puteal seems to have been near the atrium of Vesta, and was a common place of meeting for usurers. The other puteal was in the comitium, on the left side of the senate-house, and in it were deposited the whetstone and razor of Attus Navius." — Smith, 1873

Puteal

"Puteal, properly means the enclosure surrounding the opening of a well, to protect persons from falling…

"And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink. And she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. Let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac. And thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master." Genesis 24:14 <p> Illustration of Rebecca pouring water into Eliezer's mouth from a pitcher. Three women stand nearby. One is leaning on the well and the other two are standing. One holds a pitcher on her shoulder. Two more of Abraham's servants stand nearby with three camels. One of the servants is holding a spear. A town is pictured in the background (left).

Rebecca Offers Water to Eliezer at the Well and is Chosen to be Isaac's Wife

"And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that…

The servant meets Rebekah in the Bible story, The Marriage of Isaac.

Rebekah

The servant meets Rebekah in the Bible story, The Marriage of Isaac.

Reynard the Fox put himself in the bucket of the well, calls, and gets the attention of Ereswine the wolf. He tells her he is eating fish from the well and to join him by jumping in the other bucket at the top. Being much heavier than Reynard, Ereswine falls to the bottom of the well where he leaves her.

Reynard the Fox: Tricking Ereswine in the Well

Reynard the Fox put himself in the bucket of the well, calls, and gets the attention of Ereswine the…

"Jesus answered and said unto unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." John 4:10 ASV <p>Illustration of Jesus sitting on a stone bench next to a well. His left arm is raised. A woman at the well has drawn up the pail. Several people are coming up the road towards the well. The ruins of a wall stand in the background.

Jesus Offers Living Water to the Woman at the Well

"Jesus answered and said unto unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to…

"and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink." John 4:6-7 ASV <p>Illustration of Jesus speaking to a Samaritan woman at a well. Jesus is standing, a halo around his head, and the woman is sitting on the edge of the well, resting her arm on a water pot. A group of men stand in the background, pointing at Jesus. Two palm trees and some cacti are growing next to the well.

Jesus Speaks to the Samaritan Woman at the Well

"and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus by the well.…

A man using a well to draw water from the ground.

Well

A man using a well to draw water from the ground.

The top portion of a well with a crank to retrieve the bucket.

Well Bucket

The top portion of a well with a crank to retrieve the bucket.

An illustration of a stone well.

Stone Well

An illustration of a stone well.

Frame of a woman and a well.

Woman and Well

Frame of a woman and a well.