The 17th century Europe was witness to the growing usage of snorting snuff or tobacco powder, and by the 18th century it was universally accepted among both sexes.
In the initial stage, snuffing was a high society affair as tobacco was imported and hence, an expensive.
Snuffing became so popular a phenomenon among the beau monde of the 18th century that it developed its own ritualistic multi-stage etiquette.
And with it came the need for the snuff boxed.
The rich made their snuffboxes on gold, silver, turtle shell and ivory.
As many different blends and flavors of snuff were available, some had to carry a different container for each blend.
Moreover, when snuff became less expensive, the practice of snuffing spread among the middle and lower classes, a demand for inexpensive snuff boxes emerged So in and around Europe a lot of small factories that mass produced snuff boxes sprang up, which gave the masses a chance to carry their own snuff boxes as those made of silver, gold or ivory were out of reach of the common man.
Some of the mass produced snuffboxes were made of papier-mâché, painted and lacquered upon to produce expensive looking boxes that were the rage of the time.
Germany was one nation that had mastered the art and produced lot of lacquered papier-mâché boxes.
It so happened that a Russian merchant named Korobov visited a German maker of snuff boxes called Schtobwasser, and came home to Fedoskino, much inspired by the box and about his future.
Very little did he realize that one day this dream of his would translate in to an industry that provides a livelihood for thousands for centuries to come and put Russia on top of the world in terms of the best lacquered hand-painted miniature papier-mâché boxes.
Until today, the village of Fedoskino remains the oldest centre of lacquer miniature painting in Russia with more than half of the inhabitants of Fedoskino and the ones nearby are in one way or another connected with the traditional craft of miniature lacquer boxes.
For 200 years now, the nuances' of making and painting miniature papier-mâché lacquers have for been passed from one generation to another.
For the French, papier-mâché means 'chewed or mashed paper,' while the Russian, especially the Fedoskinos' evolved their own style of making papier-mâché for making lacquered boxes as it was required to be more weather resistant and sturdy.
Being a region that is rich enough in its natural beauty to inspire artistic creativity, Fedoskino, and the metamorphic change of colors through the seasons is well reflected in the paintings of Fedoskino's lacquer miniature artists.
The earliest lacquered boxes produced were plain polished lacquer or had cut outs of popular prints glued to the surface of the boxes and lacquered over.
But the paintings evolved as more and more Russian artists' switched to miniature painting on lacquered boxes and the Fedoskino lacquered boxes won many international acclaims.
The Fedoskino artist score over their Palekh, Kholuy, and Mstyora counterparts in the detailing of the art piece and in maintaining the right proportion in the making and painting of lacquered miniature boxes.