Antique floor sweeper, Green Gables Heritage Place

Long wooden handle with red metal attached at the end.

These became popular in the 1800s because many companies were making carpets that were affordable to some people. As wall-to-wall carpeting became available, the mechanical broom was basically a predecessor to the vacuum cleaner. It lightened the housework load for women to carpet sweep rather than doing it all by hand on their knees with a brush.