Brest "Daisy" Maidens Nesting Doll. A vintage Brest matryoshka with a red and gold "Made in the USSR" export paper label on the bottom of the first doll. Fine condition with a bit of plastic residue on first doll left over from cellophane wrapper. 7 nest, 5¼" to ¾". Late 1980's. 1 only, as shown.

Refer to Collector's Guide to Nesting Dolls by Michele Lefkovitz, p. 24. She has a section on dolls from the Brest region with many pictures.

Dolls from Brest were labeled "Made in the USSR" when Belarus was part of the Soviet empire. Brest (formerly Brest-Litovsk) is a city at the border of Poland. For a long time, the Brest Matryoshka factory was a prolific production center for unusual nesting dolls. They used birch wood instead of the more traditional and softer linden, and were painted in bright colors. Dolls could either have a glossy or a matte lacquer. Several American  importers, including Shelmar of NJ (now defunct), had a considerably important relationship with the factory and helped to design specialty dolls for the market.