Most of the world seems familiar with the famous Disney princesses, from Snow White to Pocahontas their likenesses are burned into our memory, fan or not. What makes them so iconic? Many would argue it was their lavish and flowing costumes, based on historical fashion. But just how correct are those period fashionable dresses? Claire Hummel, an illustrator with a passion for historically accurate costuming recently reworked many of the famous ladies, giving them new garb fitting a stylish member of their periods society. As you can see in her version of Snow White above (based on early 16th century Germany), many of the original Disney costumes weren’t far off, while a few are vastly different. For more of Hummel’s excellent work, see her website shoomlah.com
See Also Real Life Disney Princesses
Pocahontas based on 17th century Powhatan costume
Cinderella’s dress is based in the mid-1860′s
Jasmine is based on rare drawings of pre-Islamic Middle Eastern fashion
Sleeping Beauty based on the year 1485
Ariel’s dress is based on 1890′s evening gown fashion
Belle’s dress is based on 1770′s French court fashion
that is definitely not how native american women would hav dressed at that time
@NOVA and @Z
Sure, the top’s not accurate. The artist probably wanted to keep the pictures g-rated for Disney fans by giving her some sort of upper body covering. Not every culture has the same standards of modesty as the modern USA, you know.
@Emma
You’re so stupid… they’re meant to look the same, just more accurate :L
I love them all! so beautiful, my favourite is sleeping beauty’s
I love them all ! they are all beautiful<3
@Kryss it was Jazmin who was going to get her hand chopped off for giving an apple to the little kid. Pocahontas’ costume is off, but then again most of these are based on the costumes. I like them. I think they’re interesting. And I never really wanted to be a princess, but I really wanted to be the king thanks to Simba’s song.
Would be nice to see them side by side for a bit more detailed comparison rather, but otherwise very interesting.
You all should go check out the artists DeviantArt page. http://shoomlah.deviantart.com/gallery/29648049 These are still fairly recent, so more may crop up (like Mulan), especially if you request it on dA.
Kryss & Mackycat: It was Jasmine that was threatened with hand chopping. She gave a small boy an apple without paying for it.
If you are going to comment about who is and is not a Disney Princess- know what the heck you are talking about. 1.) Mulan IS an official princess. Did she marry a prince in order to be one like Cinderella, Belle or Tiana? No. 2.) Was she born a princess like Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Snow White, Ariel, Rapunzel? No. But Disney officially added her to the list of their princesses because she is a warrior princess. Just as Pocahontas is an official princess. Her inclusion is not such a stretch seeing she is the daughter of her tribes chief. The tribe didn’t use titles like princess but you see where Disney was going with her. So like it or not, understand it or not- Mulan IS an official Disney Princess. Personally the character and movie are amongst my favorite Disney entries. Mulan, Pocahontas & Tiana give the princesses some racial mixing. Without them- the group is primarily blonde & caucasian. The newer princesses are more reflective of the world and their fans. BTW: not just little girls enjoy the princesses. I know more than a few little boys that love the princesses just as much. In our house we encourage their fandom of the non-stereotypical. If girls want a “Cars” birthday party- fine. If boys want a princess birthday- great!
You’re right about Pocahontas, her outfit isn’t accurate. . They were even MORE scantily clad back then. http://b-womeninamericanhistory17.blogspot.com/2011/08/women-already-in-america-when-english.html
It would seem that the ignorance of some persons who have posted here, boarders on the imbecilic. I implore those who have belittled your work to submit their own illustration of their more accurate versions. Nevertheless, the images rendered as they are, are very beautiful. You are quite the talent.
It seems many who chose to comment, have over-looked the simplest of things: your charismatic artwork. And as an artist, a corsetiere and period costume designer, I appreciate your aptitude for these costumes. Also, as an artist, you seem to have achieved your goal. The goal of any artists is to stir a reaction and spark the thought process of both open and closed-minded individuals. I tip my hat to you.
Beautiful drawings!
Also, as a lover of Chinese history and someone who has seen a LOT of Chinese art (and okay, some kung fu dramas), I think Mulan’s outfit (the one she goes to see the matchmaker in) in the movie is already reasonably representative of Chinese Hanfu clothing (not so sure about the armor though).
yeah. “based on” is apt for these. “loosely based”, even.
i do know some powhatan ladies who are ready to beat this woman into the ground for suggesting they’d be so immodest. as for real historical costumers, this is mildly amusing.
fuck disney, fuck their models of acceptable womanhood, and fuck their fascist beauty standards.
I like thesee better! Geeez you’d think since its Disney they’d have used this costume and have Jasmine cover up a tad more.
These are gorgeous!!!
Love them all! They remind me about my childhood..
The apple in Snow White’s hand isn’t because she was going to get her hand chopped off…..it is because an apple is one of the main features in the storyline. Watch the movies before you judge…..the pics are great, btw! Even prettier than in the movies! (and much more historically accurate)
They are all pic beautiful
Very cool! Where did you find these?!
These illustrations are gorgeous. Well done.
(PS) Why are people talking about Jasmine and the apple incident? Is it because Snow White is pictured with an apple and Jasmine isn’t? Snow White is pictured with an apple because her story’s antagonist put her in a coma with one. The apple in Jasmine’s story was a minor plot device.
(PPS) Nice touch putting the shreds of Prince Achmed’s boxers under Raja’s paw, by the way.
I love these! To take Poccahantas to a longer reach of realism, the real Pochtonas first met John Smith when she was a 12 year old child. My professors tell me that a 12 year old child of the Powatan Nation would not be wearing clothes and she would have been bald. Quie a different picture. The artist, hoever, did seem to do his (her?) homeworrk so maybe the artist can tell me if I am correct.
In any case, well done!
thats funny because in pocahontis’ time she wouldnt have worn any clothes at all…. you might wanna check your history
Nice nice nice! I think this is hotter than the clasic images….well done and thanks for sharing.
Powhatans went naked. Turquoise is not native to Virginia either. So i’m not sure how passionate this illustrator is for things that are “historically accurate”
these are great, love them. I may even buy one!
Super interesting and cool! It’s interesting to see how the historically accurate pictures compare with the Disney princesses (you can really tell they are based on the time period, though there are obvious differences). The artwork is pretty and fun as well!
just new c—-good and Thanks smile smile
All pic are very beautiful
the pocahontas is yet again… innaccurate. will they white man ever get it right?
i love princesses! <33
Great pictures, love Snow White.
Whoever mentioned deviantart.com has the right idea! great site
Great pictures. love some more!!!
Troy: I agree with everything you say, and back you completely… HOWEVER, if your son wants a princess themed birthday…
I’ve never really thought of Disney characters’ costumes being accurate or not to their time period. This is pretty interesting! Thanks!
I’ve never really thought of Disney characters’ costumes being accurate or not to their time period. This is pretty interesting! Thanks!
All I can say is WOW. Very fitting to their historical periods. Beautiful!
Very Nice! I think this is hotter than the clasic images….well done and thanks for sharing.
All of these are great! My favorites by far are Pocahontas and Jasmine
@Nova: This is the artists interpretation of the beauty of each princess, so don’t be snobby. Also, a woman’s body is beautiful and nothing to be afraid of, sorry to burst your bubble.
Beautiful artwork, you should be very happy with these
ok so native Americans at the time would have worn even less but then if it’s intended for a children’s film then some modesty is required.
Troy: Mulan being in the list of Disney princesses is fine and she deserves the spot however if i was being REALLY picky then i’d say – No, she didn’t marry a prince. She married the son of a great general. therefore she is not a princess.
I love these, especially Aurora. Thanks for eschewing the pink monstrosity #team Merriweather
No one has even mentioned how wrong Snow White’s dress is… Early 16th century Germany would have had a higher waist, more akin to the natural waist and no point coming down. That was all from Spain and Italy and Germany was one of the last countries to adopt the lower waistline and point. Want proof? Look up pictures of Anne of Cleves and other Germans from the period. Historical accuracy. ha.
These are gorgeous! Nice job!
Nice drawings, but still historically questionable.
Since Pocahontas was actually TWELVE at the time, it’s not just the *costume* that was off!
What we’d really have is a little girl wearing some feathers, if *anything*! But no, Disney needed a Barbiehontas to sell dolls & accessories… And I would definitely have switched Belle & Cinderella’s time periods – but this is still nice. Very interesting.
this post needs more mulan
These are Sooo Beautiful!!! But Princess Jasmines outfit is from the wrong period, the movie shows they were living in an Islamic society (Allah forbid you have any daughters?) Also I doubt Jasmines “Middle Eastern” the palace looks like Persian/Mughal architecture. So Im guessing the time period is about 15th Century Persian clothing would have been accurate. Her outfit still makes her look like a harem girl and not a Princess.
Omg people – BASED. BASED on these time periods. BASED on. It’s like a movie that is “inspired by a true story” and then people bitch that it’s not the true story. She’s an artist, so she takes certain artistic liberties. These are PHENOMENAL. Excellently rendered, beautiful pieces that are so very detailed. I love the spindles in Aurora’s dress, the jasmine flowers in Jasmin’s outfit, the apple motif in the neckline of Snow White’s dress, and the roses in Belle’s hair. Such subtle details! So so beautiful.
It would be great if everyone stopped saying “BUT IT”S NOT ACCURATE!” and learned to appreciate some truly beautiful illustrations.
I think people would be less histrionic about “accuracy” if the title of the article weren’t “Disney Princesses in Accurate Period Costume.” Sorry, but that’s just not true.
Also, Please understand that Indians/Native Americans never have nor never will be immune to the obviously insanely cold winters of the North East. The English arrived in the winter. Naked women running around is just stupid and illogical and no thinking person should honestly believe that.
There are political and socio-economic reasons why native americans were *often* depicted as raggedy, poor, and naked by arriving Europeans. It is important that people understand that they were NOT always drawn that way by contemporary observers. It is important to understand that they DID have different standards of modesty, but those standards were (obviously) superseded by standards of not freezing their nipples off. There is a difference between not having clothes to wear and not wearing them all the time.
All north-eastern American Indians owned shoes. They also owned shirts. The native American tribes of the North East did not freeze to death during the winter that John Smith and his companions first arrived. Most of the Europeans did. Be logical.
Also http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1615189,00.html
and http://www.nativetech.org/clothing/regions/region1.html