10 Historically Accurate Drawings Of Disney Princesses Worth Seeing

Many Disney movies are set at different times throughout history. Some of them are slightly more recent than others, but most of them are set in the distant past, in a faraway land. In order to emphasize this, the princesses in these Disney movies often have incredibly elaborate, beautiful dresses and hairstyles that are fit for a princess in the time period of the movie. However, Disney has to sacrifice some historical aspects of those gowns for aesthetic and commercial reasons. As a result, the princesses’ clothes are not always historically accurate.
However, this is completely understandable. To ensure that the time is not too long and the cost to produce a movie is not too high, Disney animators have to cut off some details on the costumes. This also makes the princess dresses more cute and suitable for children.
So what if those costumes were designed according to historical originals? To answer this question, take a look at 10 accurate drawings of Disney princesses.

#1 Snow White

Accurate drawings of Disney princesses, Snow White Source: © Snow White / Walt Disney Productions

Snow White lived in 16th century Germany during the Protestant reformation period. Back then, most women wore dark clothes with high necklines. They would also frequently tie their hair back and wear a headpiece.

#2 Belle

Accurate drawings of Disney princesses Source: © Beauty and The Beast / Walt Disney Productions

Though Belle's animation was more realistic than that of the other princesses, it was still not "perfect." The dress Belle wore should have been more fashionable given that the story took place in 18th-century France. Women of the period frequently wore their poufs with flowers, ribbons, lace, feathers, and jewelry.

#3 Aurora

Accurate drawings of Disney princesses, Aurora Source: © Sleeping Beauty / Walt Disney Productions

The story of Princess Aurora took place in 14th century France. The aristocratic women wore tailored clothes with fitted sleeves and bodices of the time. These outfits were usually buttoned up in the front and were known as Cotehardie.

#4 Ariel

Accurate drawings of Disney princesses, Ariel Source: © The Little Mermaid / Walt Disney Productions

Because we have never seen a mermaid in real life, it is difficult to imagine how Ariel might seem underwater. Instead, let's consider how she could have looked when she was turned into a human. During the 17th century, which was the setting of the story, women wore off-the-shoulder gowns with puffy sleeves, therefore that is most likely how it should have been depicted in the movie.

#5 Elsa

Accurate drawings of Disney princesses, Elsa Source: © Frozen / Walt Disney Productions

Elsa lived in the mid-18th century when women wore beautiful Victorian gowns with ballgown shapes. Corsets had just been introduced, and embroidery was not very common. Instead of the simpler cloak she wore in the movie, Elsa would have worn one with a more elaborate pattern as the next queen.

#6 Rapunzel

Accurate drawings of Disney princesses, Rapunzel Source: © Tangled / Walt Disney Productions

The setting for Rapunzel’s story was during the mid-16th in Germany. At that time women wore very ladylike clothing. According to a German painter, during that era the dresses were known as Cranachs gowns.

#7 Cinderella

Accurate drawings of Disney princesses, Cinderella Source: © Cinderella / Walt Disney Productions

Although it was first believed that this story originally appeared in the 18th century, it may be an older legend about a Chinese woman who lived about 206 BCE. You should also know that blonde hair was not a popular hair color in the 1830s and there weren't many paintings of ladies with blonde hair at this period.

#8 Princess Jasmine

Rumour has it that the original name of Princess Jasmine was Badroulbadour. Her name was reportedly altered to make her more likable. She wore loose-fitting and modest clothing because of the hot climate she lived in.

#9 Princess Mulan

The ballad of the mythical Princess Mulan recalls the tale of a girl who chopped her hair short to pass for a man during the Northern Wei Dynasty. However, ladies of this time were known to wear loose and layered clothing that was tight at the waist and had extremely wide sleeves. They also wore lively, bright makeup, and had flowers in their hair.

#10 Pocahontas

Pocahontas, who was originally known as Matoaka (means "flower between two streams") was between the ages of 10 and 12 during this tale, not in her 20s as she appears in the Disney movie. She had her hair braided and wore a deerskin with beads around her neck because she was the daughter of Chief Powhatan.