JOLLY JUG.

A great joke at a party; this jug can be made to pour from the centre of its base on demand. It is fairly practicable as the base pouring can also be stopped and it can be used as a conventional jug.

The handle contains two tubes: One runs from the outside centre of the base up to a hole under the top of the handle. The other runs from the inside bottom of the jug up to the same hole at the top of the handle.

Fill the jug, tip it backwards and put your finger on the handle hole, move the jug upright and the contents will siphon out until you remove your finger.

Very popular in the early to mid 19th Century. Many were made by Elsemore and Forster in Staffordshire, England. This example is from an unknown maker in the same area circa 1840.

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2002