Russian Nesting Dolls - From Russia With Love
http://ezinearticles.com/?Russian-Nesting-Dolls---From-Russia-With-Love&id=5805337 Russian nesting dolls or Matryoshkas, as they are fondly called, have been the most preferred gifts for girls. In fact, these are even passed-on as family heirlooms. Russians originally borrowed for nesting dolls from the Japanese; indeed the credit for making these dolls popular certainly rests with the Russians. In the 1890's, an artisan by the name of Sergei Maliutin and Vasiliy Zvezdochkin made the first set of Russian dolls. While Zvezdochkin carved the doll, Maliutin painted it. The very first Matryoshkas contained eight nesting dolls.