History

The matryoshka or matryoshki (plural) dolls but often called nesting dolls are known to be the symbol of Russian culture. In the 19th century Russian literature focused on family structures, both the personal and political family unit. The word matryoshka is associated to one of the words for mother in the Russian language “mat”. This adds to the symbolism of family structure, each doll infused with the symbolism of fertility. The largest outermost believed to be the matriarch of the family and the innermost smallest doll is termed the "seed" signifying the soul. These wooden dolls are viewed as a depiction of a sequence of mothers passing on the family's heritage through the child in their womb.

The matryoshka doll is considered an invention as it was first displayed at the 1900 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair). The creation of these dolls was inspired by a Japanese nesting toy brought from Honshu to a toy shop in Sergiev Posad, to a man named Anatoly Momontov. The first matryoshka doll was painted by an artist by the name of Sergei Mailutin who worked in the toy shop. The toy shop gave the name "Matryoshka" to these dolls. The original design was a farmyard themed doll carrying a rooster and dressed in a work apron and kerchief. The smaller versions each carried objects representative of Russian peasant life, such as a reap hook, a basket, a bowl of porridge, a broom and a tug of a younger sibling. The smallest doll sheltered at the core was a baby wrapped in a quilt. They emerged as wooden toys for children, however, became a symbol of Russian culture. Matryoshki dolls blossomed in the 19th century restoring the handicraft communities after the revolution.