I have started this new site to help collections find information about traditional vintage nesting dolls and to connect with one another to discuss this unique style of wooden doll.
My wife and I are not Russian, but we started collecting nesting dolls over 35 years ago. My wife was interested in them from childhood and I started giving her a set of nesting dolls each year for Christmas looking for a different type each time. Around 1999, I started discovering more about the history of nesting dolls and the different styles produced in Soviet era Russia, as well as different types around the world. I started surprising my wife with new sets of nesting dolls every week as a tradition at breakfast on Monday mornings. I have researched and cataloged the dolls and gather notes about each set in the our collection.
We specialize in collecting unusual and vintage styles of nesting dolls, as well as unusual nesting doll related clothing, pencils, boxes and other items. Most of our items are vintage collectibles and not modern or art quality matryoshkas.
There are not a lot of comprehensive books about nesting dolls that help collectors identify types of dolls, so years ago I created an old website and some photo albums that a lot of people have used as a nesting doll reference. I am starting this updated and modernized site as an update to my old albums here:
http://steve.dow.net/nestlinks.htm
Each doll in the collection is cataloged with a specific 4 letter Doll Number like AX## so if you have any questions about a specific type of doll, please mention the Doll Number for reference to easily identify the set. You can also post questions or comments on any page in our photo albums and I will do my best to answer you.
Over the years I have made other friends around the world who also collect nesting dolls and who have lots information identifying the sources and styles of these dolls. At this point our collection has grown to over 2,500 sets.
I live near Seattle, Washington in the USA.
Steve Dow
email: steve@dow.net
