This was what our washroom on our farm looked like into the 60's. I have no pleasant memories or nostalgia triggered by this photograph I just remember the grind of the work and the poverty we shared with neighbours as well as never feeling completely clean.

You forgot to mention the finely woven protective covering loosely draped over the handle!

Snark, Snark!

tterrace, normally an astute observer of decorative and industrial arts, really missed this one! Note the lathe-turned ashwood handle, which has been cut with the grain and polished to a high sheen by linseed and tung oils. Note, too, the fine lithographic label glued to the handle just above the winding. The true genius of this broom's design is revealed in the sorghum straw which is bound to the handle with tightly wound bright metal wire. The straw itself is straight, blonde, thick and luscious. (That'll get the search engines humming) Note the alternating bands of colored cotton thread holding the sorghum neatly in place. Design perfection!

Snarkily yours,

Goober Pea

Looks pretty standard issue, to me. Just like the ones we had around the house in the 50s which, because even though they were well-worn they were sturdily made and still serviceable and you didn't just throw things like that away willy-nilly back then, probably dated back to the 30s, or am I missing something here? Besides good sentence construction?

That's a pretty fancy broom, for that time.