Collecting Russian Dolls

The distinctive Russian Doll brings back childhood memories to many. Whether you had a doll yourself as a child, or your grandmother. Maybe there was one at nursery school. Nevertheless, many have memories of the Doll that was typically red and yellow, which came apart and contained many smaller dolls inside.

The Semienov style doll, that so many people recall, is named after the region where this style of doll is made. Ironically, the Semienov doll is not the ‘Original’ Russian Doll that everyone believes it is. In Russia’s Doll-making history, Semienov dolls are a 1930’s copy of those originally produced in Sergiev Posad, the traditional doll-making centre since the early 1890’s. Semienov dolls were cheaply made in large factory quantities and were able to be exported to provide the much-needed hard currency for the USSR. During the Soviet period, these were the ‘official’ doll, rather than the ‘traditional’ doll.

As the Soviet period ended, a variety of colour appeared once again as the traditional doll-making centre of Sergiev Posad regained its position in producing the some of the finest quality dolls in Russia. With the vibrancy of colour came the variance of style and the collecting of Russian Matryoshka Dolls became an exciting challenge.

"A gift inside a gift
inside a gift..."