Product Description

Brest "Needler" Pin Cushion. Novelty doll depicting a woman dressed in a folk costume, consisting of a vest, shawl, peasant shirt, and skirt. Her hair is pulled into a bun. She holds knitting needles and a piece of fabric. Circa 1980s. 5¼". 1 only.

Brest (formerly Brest-Litovsk) is a city in Belarus at the border of Poland. Dolls from Brest were labeled "Made in the USSR" during the time Belarus was part of the USSR. For a long time, the Brest Matryoshka factory was quite the prolific production center for unusual matryoshkas. Their dolls use birch wood, instead of the more traditional, and softer, linden wood, and are painted in bright colors. Dolls can either be glossy lacquer or matte lacquer. Several turn of the century importers, including high profile Shelmar Imports of NJ, had a direct relationship with the factory and even helped to design some of the dolls for the American market.