Disney Princess Historical Costume Influences: The Princess and the Frog (2009)

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Disney princesses are possibly some of the best-known characters worldwide, and part of their appeal lies in their oldey-timey-ness. Each one is certainly a product of the period in which the movie was made, but they are also almost always set in a fantasy historical setting … and thus, their costumes are fantasy historical as well. In this series, we’re going to analyze each of the Disney princesses to discuss the historical influences in their costumes. Previously, we analyzed Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950) in two parts, Sleeping Beauty (1959), and The Little Mermaid (1989).

Since I got Disney+ for Hamilton, I looked around to see if there was anything else I might watch for the month before I canceled it. And I noticed The Princess and the Frog (2009), which I’d missed back in the day. I found it’s an enjoyable addition to the Disney princess canon, plus the flick has a delightful take on 1920s New Orleans style. So I’m taking editorial privilege, and I’m jumping into Kendra’s Disney princess series, hah!

I’m also picking up where Sarah left off with her version of Historically Accurate Disney Princesses. She gave an option for what Tiana, this movie’s “princess,” could look like in real life.

Left: Disney’s Tiana. Right: Young African American woman, by Addison Scurlock, photographer. 1938 (?)

But this is only the “princessy” dress Tiana wears at the very end of the movie, which, sure, that’s the main image of her on all the marketing and if you were able to go to the theme parks. But she’s only shown this way for a hot second in a 97 minute movie! And yeah, I totally get the complaints that here’s the first Black Disney princess who actually spends most of her movie as a frog, not even as a human being. Weird and offensive, but weird and offensive in that Disney way since they built their empire on singing animal stories. Let’s at least look at the time Tiana does spend as a human, and not just the tiny bit as a princess. Because she’s damn interesting and probably the most realistic person of all the Disney princesses!

The movie’s co-directors Ron Clements and Jon Musker were inspired by a real person when creating the character of Tiana. They told SlashFilm about meeting the “Queen of Creole Cuisine” Leah Chase in New Orelans. Musker said:

“She talked about how food brings people together, and it’s this social lubricant, a way of bringing people together from different walks of life. … Up on the wall was a picture. She has a lot of art work on the walls of the restaurant that she’s picked up, but there’s also a photo up there. It was George Patton. I asked about it. She was like, ‘I admire Patton.’ She’s in her 80s. She was seeing Patton on the newsreels in the ’40s and everything. She goes, ‘That was a man that I admired.’ It was just a great thing to see this warm and nurturing thing, but she has this flinty side, too, where she can be both. That’s what we tried to get with Tiana, that she’s very warm and vulnerable but she has a passion, spine, and a backbone, and she’s really trying to get something done and doesn’t give in easily to things.”

Tiana is the first Disney princess with career goals, and she doesn’t really want to let a man get in the way of her pursuing that. Right on, sister! Of course, this being Disney, there are obstacles in her way, more of them magical than realistic.

The story opens in 1912 New Orleans, in the very pink and princessy bedroom of little Charlotte “Lottie” La Bouff, a spoiled rich blonde girl who is literally dressed as a poufy pink princess.

She even has Disney princess dolls.

Lottie, the blonde white girl, is in her princess drag, while Tiana wears a contemporary 1910s little girl dress in green, but with a crown for dress-up fun.

She has her own seamstress who apparently does nothing but sew endless pink princess costumes for her (OK, sure, I’d have loved that as a kid, and it does seem like a decent gig for the seamstress).

Mom kinda sorta has a period hairstyle but her clothes are nondescript when it comes to the era. 

Lottie’s princess obsession knows no historical accuracy.

Lottie pals around with her seamstress’s daughter, Tiana. The internet says Tiana is 19 during the later part of the movie, so she’d have to be 5 here, which I don’t see. Maybe it’s that super-precocious Disney 5-year-old thing? Bleh.

Nobody seems bothered by the dynamics of Tiana’s Black mom, Eudora (voiced by none-the-less than Oprah Winfrey), working for Lottie’s white dad, and the girls are just happy and perfectly at ease in their interracial, BFF-ness across socio-economic classes. Because everything always works out that nicely in Disney World, remember? Moving on.

This is how we learn the date of the start of the movie — it’s November 1912.

Good view of Tiana’s dress, which passes for early 20th-c. little girl wear. Also, love Mom’s pedal sewing machine.

Tiana’s family is poor, but they have love and good gumbo. Dad dreams of opening his own restaurant, but he’d call it Tiana’s Place. So when he dies in World War I, his daughter takes up the dream and works two jobs waitressing to save up the money to build up her own restaurant.

And *boom* we’ve jumped forward in time. Dad’s gone, & Tiana’s working hard for her money.

Her green waitress dress isn’t fashionable, but then, it’s probably a uniform.

Compare with this waitress at the Talk of the Town in 1924 – image from LAPL Photo Collection.

She takes the streetcar to her second waitress job & wears a cute cloche hat.

The newspaper just barely informs us it’s April 25, 1926, so 14 years have passed.

Meanwhile, a philandering, spendthrift but legit prince comes to town and makes all the girls go crazy. Except Tiana, of course.

Tiana’s dresses, so far, may not look very ’20s, but the gals around town have more of the drop-waist styles we associate with the period. Plus, most everyone wears hats!

Love the clothing details on Tiana’s friends, as they chide her for always working & never coming out with them to socialize.

Similar to the styles worn by these Howard University students in the 1920s.

Or even this 1920s portrait of Josephine Baker, with a cloche hat & bow at the neck of her dress.

Lottie & her daddy come visit Tiana at her second job — which they seem to do frequently, since Big Daddy is fond of the beignets. And still, after 14 years, the racial, class, and economic differences between the gals are NBD, they’re still buddies in this Disney fantasy version of the 1920s. Cool.

Lottie has grown up into kind of a floozie / flapper / ditz. At least she’d drawn that way. All big smiles, big boobs, lots of leg.

Tiana is incredibly modest in comparison with the neckline of her uniform filled in & the sleeves having a “rolled up” appearance to emphasize her seriousness.

Since Big Daddy is having a masquerade party to celebrate Prince Naveen’s arrival, Lottie decides to hire Tiana to make beignets at the party. That money is just what Tiana needs to finally buy her restaurant.

Green is Tiana’s signature color & foreshadows her storyline.

Mom brings a gift of Dad’s old gumbo pot to continue the family cooking tradition.

Older Mom reminds me of this photo of a 1920s woman with a soft hairstyle & simple coat — image by Gado Images / Alamy Stock Photo.

Next, Tiana’s sings “Almost There” in a fabulous fantasy where she tells her mom all about how her restaurant will be. This part is the best thing about the whole movie to me for a couple reasons. Tiana’s appearance is referencing iconic Josephine Baker looks, with a slinky white gown, but she’s doing it while cooking and running the restaurant — reinforcing the idea that she’s in charge, she’s not just a pretty face.

OK, so she looks a little closer to 1940s Josephine Baker.

Because this was 1926 Josephine Baker.

She’s dressed up, but she’s still writing her menu.

And she’s cooking with Dad’s gumbo pot.

Dancing, singing, but most importantly, cooking.

All this part is animated in a gorgeous Art Deco Harlem Renaissance style, unlike the rest of the movie. The gold and brown colors are significant and beautiful, and every line reinforces the modern, deco feel. This is not your old-fashioned Disney fantasyland scene! The sequence was strongly inspired by the work of African-American painter and illustrator Aaron Douglas, further rooting Tiana in her Black heritage and the 1920s time and place.

Welcoming the crowds in — they look a bit more 1930s than ’20s IMO.

It’s Prohibition, but the champagne is flowing. And those Art Deco lines are flowing too.

Compare with one of Aaron Douglas’ major works, “Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery to Reconstruction,” 1934, New York Public Library Digital Collections

Back in the real cartoon world, Prince Naveen and his stupid valet are tricked by the voodoo witch doctor Dr. Facilier. This ends with the Prince being turned into a frog, hence the action of the movie.

But I’m more interested in the New Orleans street scenes! Nice touches of ’20s fashions.

Similar shape as these ’20s dresses. Photo from Arkansas State Archives.

Plus, multiracial faces in the crowds, appropriate because the population at the time was 26% Black, according to the Census.

At the party that night, everyone’s wearing costumes, so not particularly historical, though slightly hysterical.

Tiana gets this sad renaissance wench outfit to serve her beignets in.

While Lottie sets herself up as the belle of the ball.

It’s kind of a stretch, but you could say that Lottie’s drop-waist, poufy ballgown is inspired by the 1920s trend called the “robe de style,” shown here on actress Eleanor Boardman.

Jeanne Lanvin is known for popularizing the robe de style design & was influenced by 18th-century fashions. This 1923gown is a the V&A Museum.

Lottie may be a ditzy blonde, but she’s well-intentioned. When Tiana’s crappy costume gets even crappier, Lottie pulls out a spare princess gown for T.

The best of friends even share their tiaras. Awwww.

Well, there’s nothing 1920s about this dress. Just looks like it’s stolen from another Disney princess.

At best, the blue gown is like a 1930s evening gown.

Then Disney magic intervenes, and Tiana is turned into a frog just like Naveen. They go off to the swamp and have adventures with singing animals, but there’s no costuming so I’m going to skip that.

Meanwhile, the bad guys continue scheming, which involves hoodwinking Lottie.

This seems like just another ruffly princess-y dress.

But it has some inspiration in period fashions, like these 1928 evening gowns. Day dresses could have ruffled tiers too, though more often the dresses would have sleeves or drapey collars.

Eventually, Tiana and Naveen make their way back to town to try and break the spell that turned them into frogs. Tiana encounters evil Dr. Facilier, who tempts her with the idea of her dream restaurant coming true.

LOVE seeing Tiana in glamour garb, even if it’s via the bad guy & in a cemetery.

And her restaurant looks pretty good.

But no way is she making a deal with the devil!

They think they can break the spell with Lottie’s help.

She’s wearing a wedding cake as a wedding gown.

But newp, they’re still frogs.

Until, y’know, twu wuv’s kiss…

And hey, there’s that Disney princess dress! Told ya she wears it for a hot second.

For some reason, their magical frog wedding isn’t legit enough, so they have a church wedding as humans and wearing different outfits.

I know this is a Catholic church, but I don’t see a priest.

OK, it’s nice to have their human family present.

The lily pad on her shoulder is a sweet reminder of their frog experience, along with the green jewels in her tiara. I guess his green uniform is because he’s now the Frog Prince?

But the cut of her gown isn’t particularly evocative of the era.

While this groom isn’t in uniform, this couple has more appropriate 1920s wedding clothing.

Now that she’s married to a prince — and more importantly, that prince isn’t disinherited because he’s settled down with a sensible partner — she can open her restaurant.

Tiana is finally wearing a ’20s drop-waist day dress, also in a rich orange.

Tho’ her finale gown confuses me. It’s more 1910s than 1920s and so covered-up and restrained compared to everyone else, even her mom.

That last dress looks more like this 1910s women’s Sunday going-to-church dress.

Instead, it would have been nice to see a 1920s evening dress like this worn by Bessie Smith — still not too showy, but elegant and with opportunity for animated flourishes. Oh well.

Look, all the in-laws are here at Tiana’s Place! I love that the Prince is now a waiter.

Lottie befriends the littlest prince, because she’s a good sport.

And they live happily ever after.

What do you think of The Princess and the Frog?