Scythe, Grass

Object number2016.153.7

Manufacturer Redtenbacher Scythe Factory

MediumWood; Metal; Paper; Adhesive

Credit LineGift of Joseph Esposito, Jr.

DescriptionWooden and metal scythe. Label printed on inside of blade.DimensionsHeight x Width x Length: 8.25 × 28.5 × 62.75 in. (21 × 72.4 × 159.4 cm)
Inscriptions"SCHWANEN-" on left side of illustration of swans, and "SENSE" on right side. Underneath illustration reads "REDTENBACHER" in red text.
Marks"MADE IN AUSTRIA" imprinted on proper left corner, before it attaches to wooden handle.

"75" embossed on end of blade that attaches to wooden handle, on back.
Historical NotesScythe from a collection of landscaping tools belonging to Joseph Guy Esposito, Sr. An immigrant from Savuci, Italy, Esposito worked for English Lane through the Depression with other Italian immigrants from Calabria. After his service in WWII, he returned to work for English Lane and married the owner’s daughter, Rose Mary. In 1949, Esposito, started his own business separate from English Lane called Parkway Landscaping. Their business included basic lawn maintenance, such as grass cutting, caring for trees and shrubbery, and constructing stone walls and walkways. Prior to the development of motorized landscaping tools, landscapers used hand-push mowers to cut grass, wool shears to trim lawn edges and define walkways by hand, and sickles were used for cutting down vegetation. The rotary lawn mower is one of the earliest example of a motorized mower and signifies a transition in landscaping industry as it allowed the business to maintain more yards in less time. In 1985, Esposito dissolved Parkway Landscaping to start J. Esposito and Son Landscaping with his son Joseph Jr., who continues to operate the business in Squirrel Hill. Also donated to the Library & Archives were two catalogs from the Squirrel Hill Nursey and one of Joseph Jr.’s day books from 1985.

Related institution Parkway Landscaping (1949 - 1985)

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