How Accurate was Buzzfeed? Snow White

Eugene Lee Yang via youtube.com | Disney

The Clues

Buzzfeed states "[The movie] Opens with a storybook that is reminiscent of early printing press manuscripts." Now we're getting somewhere.  The first printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440 CE in the many territories that make up modern day Germany.  Though it doesn't exactly nail the time frame down, this does give us a solid starting point for Snow White.

Storybook from the opening of Snow White

A sample of typeface from the Guttenberg Bible

Second clue: "The dwarfs’ home is decorated with carved wooden furniture and instruments, which, along with the mountains and forest, is typical of the Black Forest region of Germany."  True!  Wood carving has been an important cottage craft in the Rhine Valley since the Middle Ages and possibly earlier.  While wood carving isn't unique to the Baden-Württemberg, it is rather prolific - about as much as it is in the film.

Lastly, "The dwarfs yodel: yodeling was first recorded in Europe in 1545, so Snow White must’ve taken place after that."  As it turns out yodeling in Europe originated in the Central Alps.  The Black Forest is divided from the Alps by the Rhine River and Lake Constance, but is otherwise considered to be apart of the mountain range.  Seriously: did Kari Koeppel take over?  Were the last two just given to her assistant and never reviewed?

Another clue to the general setting might have been the inclusion of dwarfs at all.  (Okay so maybe  I just wanted to share this neat tidbit): In Germanic mythology dwarfs (cue J.R.R. Tolkien) were beings that dwelt in mountains and deep caves.  Dwarfs were often depicted as smiths, miners, sometimes as healers, and usually symbolized death.  In Norse mythology dwarfs signify a mixture of ideas and their roles varied from producers of enchanted relics to sexual predators (let's not look too deeply into this).   They are not wholly benevolent and are often treated with fear or caution in folklore.  Perhaps not ironically there is an Anglo-Saxon charm, Wið Dweorh, "Against a Dwarf" that relates to sleep disturbance.

The Background

Understanding the Holy Roman Empire in the mid-to-late 1500's requires a bit of back story.  Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile (yes that Ferdinand and Isabella), engineered alliances through marriage with Portugal (through their first born daughter, Isabella), Burgundy (through their first born son, John), and Hapsburg Austria (through their second daughter, Joanna).  However both first born children died.  As maternal inheritance of succession was permissible, when Isabella I died in 1504 her kingdom transferred to Joanna (and her husband, Philip of Hapsburg, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I).  Isabella's will stated Ferdinand could rule as regent in Joanna's absence or until her heir came of age at 20.

Joanna "The Mad"

Ferdinand II of Aragon

This didn't really sit well with Ferdinand who attempted to take the throne permanently.  He was rebuffed by Castilian nobility who swore oaths of loyalty to Joanna (no doubt they were supported by the Hapsburg and perhaps even the Holy Roman Emperor).  When Philip died in 1506, Ferdinand promptly had Joanna declared mentally ill.  She was confined to a nunnery for the rest of her life, putting Ferdinand back in power of Castile.  When Ferdinand died in 1516 both Castile and Aragon went to Joanna's heir, Charles I (also named Charles V).  As did the title of Holy Roman Emperor through his paternal grandfather... and Valois-Burgundy, and Burgundian Netherlands, the Spanish colonies in the Americas....  Did we mention his aunts (born after Joanna) were married to Portugal and England?

Charles V was virtually engineered to be the head of one of the world's first true global empires.  This, combined with the incredible wealth of Spain, makes it no surprise that Spanish influence was so deep in Europe and the Holy Roman Empire in particular during the 1500's.

Charles V

Now let's take a step back.  If you recall in our previous discussion, the 14th century and 15th centuries saw great upheaval against the Church.  Widespread concerns about corruption, the sale of indulgences, the disregard of celibacy among the clergy, and many other issues encouraged wars between nobles and triggered peasant uprisings.  In 1412, Jan Hus, citing the work of earlier scholar John Wycliffe, delivered an address in which he rejected the practice of selling indulgences and the papal authority to engage in wars.  In response, the Church invited him to present his debate to the Council of Constance with the promise safe conduct.  Instead he was imprisoned, declared a heretic, and burned alive in 1415.  For good measure the Church posthumously condemned John Wycliffe as a heretic, dug his body up, and burned it.  In turn, followers of Jan Hus' teachings rebelled against the aristocracy in 1419.  This carried on in waves until 1434 when the Hussites agreed to be subject to the Church and the King of Bohemia in exchange for being allowed to continue practicing their beliefs.  We could call that a partial victory.

Battle of Viktov Hill during the first anti-Hussite crusade

Even more outrageous liberties within the papacy followed with the sale of indulgences for the dead and having a pope legitimize his children (among other things).  In response, Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences in 1517.  The invention of the printing press further fueled the movement as brochures could be made fast, in great quantities, and inexpensively.  Bibles in vernacular language rather than the exclusive Latin were also distributed.  Not only could reform scholars make their debate known, but they could distribute the source material that had been kept effectively secret from the public.

In 1524 the German Peasant's War swept through Bavaria, Swabia, and Thuringia and ended in 1525 with the slaughter of some 100,000 to 300,000 peasants.  Spain, having established the Spanish Inquisition in 1478, and having to reconquer territory from the Moors in 1492, stressed religious unity.  Naturally, Charles V became an opponent to the Protestant Reformation, seeking to keep the Holy Roman Empire and his kingdoms united.  It was unavoidable, however, as some of the German princes broke from the Church and formed the Schmalkaldic League to challenge Catholic (read: Spain's) presence in their territories.

Though the league was defeated, Protestantism was too firmly rooted in Germany and in 1552 Charles V signed the Peace of Passau.   In 1555 the Peace of Augsburg gave official recognition to Lutheranism, allowing German princes to choose the religion of their territories.  In 1556 Charles V abdicated both the throne of Spain and the title of Holy Roman Emperor, ending the hay-day of Spanish influence.

The Dress

Fashion in the 16th century was all about an abundance of fabric; primarily due to the Little Ice Age going on.  The chemise became fuller, using up much more fabric than before.  Pleats and gathering at the neck and wrists were necessary for this reason, often resulting in a frill that would eventually develop into the wider Elizabethan ruffle for the English.  Embroidery on the chemise was common, and in particular Blackwork after the Spanish style became very popular among both sexes.

An example of Blackwork

Gollars were worn with lower-cut bodices to cover the shoulders and neck.  Throughout most of Europe the gollar was constructed of linen or sheer silk and was made in a variety of styles.  German women in particular wore a capelet made of black velvet or silk with a high, standing collar.  The capelet was usually lined with fur and liberally embroidered.  The standing collar stayed in fashion well into the seventeenth century and became part of the national dress -- especially in the Rhine valley.

Judith mit dem Haupt des Holofernes, Lucas Cranach

Though corsets had caught on elsewhere, German women continued to wear tightly laced, short-waisted bodices.  The necklines of gowns were lower than before; sometimes round, but usually square cut.  The skirts were cut separately then usually sewn into the bodice.  Skirts were much fuller than in previous centuries, exaggerating the hips.  Gowns were open in front, revealing a velvet or silk kirtle beneath.  Though more somber tones had caught on in Europe due to Spanish influence, red and yellow remained popular colors in Germany, and more so towards the end of the 1500's.

Sleeves remained narrow but were often slashed and puffed, revealing kirtles and under-sleeves.  Slashing became so en vogue in Germany that whole garments were constructed of alternating bands of contrasting fabrics.  The sleeve ended in a point over the hand and was padded with fustian: something of a precursor to interfacing.

Detail of a portrait of Duchess Katharina von Mecklenberg

Headgear changed dramatically as well.  The veil was ditched entirely at the open of the century, making room for a bag-like beret.  German women in particular are depicted as showing ringlets or wisps of hair under the brims of their berets.  There were many variations on the baggy beret, one of which  included a wide, upturned brim with plumage.  By the middle of the sixteenth century a flat, black cap resembling a saucer had become popular and was worn with a highly decorative snood or hair net.

Portrait of a Woman, Lucas Cranach 1564

So how does Buzzfeed compare?

First, I want to examine Buzzfeed's statement about this costume:

"Though still part of the Holy Roman Empire during the 16th century, Protestant reformations had sprung up around Germany and the culture was austere and religious. German women during this time period wore rich, heavy, dark-colored fabrics, with exaggerated, puffed up shoulders and hips. Their dresses reached the floor, emphasized the waist, and had a high neckline. Women wore their hair pulled back, often covering it with a headpiece."

Come now, we can be a lot more specific than this!  Especially in regards to the head-wear.  This description would apply to the dress they presented, but it could have also described the dress of any European nation in a two hundred year period.  If you've narrowed yourself into a fifty year span and an exact region, you really should do your best to describe what that dress would have looked like. 

Buzzfeed also incorrectly credits the Protestant reformation for the austere forms of dress.  Rather, the overwhelming influence of the Spanish court encouraged stiff forms of dress in dark, somber colors.  The primary reason for this is that it was very difficult to dye fabric black, hence black clothing was a sign of luxury and wealth -- which the Spanish had in spades.  Most of Europe, including the predominantly Catholic countries, had adopted the Spanish fashions.  And, while it is true that the style was favorable to middle-class Protestants merchants, it can hardly be said that religion was the primary motivation.  What's more, the austerity of dress started falling out of fashion mid-to-late 1500's with the push from the Protestant Schmalkaldic League to reject Catholicism (and subsequently All Things Spanish).

Lastly, the link for "Protestant" lead to a paper by Cambridge University Press that addressed gender identity in early modern German history.  While it was an interesting (and brief) read, it's not at all relevant to the dress of the mid to late sixteenth century.  The link for "German women" leads to a dead end, stating only "No results found matching your search for 'Women -- Clothing & dress -- Germany -- 1500-1599'. Try a different search term."  The link used for "wore" and "headpiece" takes us to a web page that refers to general European costume in the Renaissance, dating it from 1400-1500 CE.  Not only is this source not specific to any one region, it's a whole century behind (or just about; the Italian Renaissance is considered to have ended with the sacking of Rome in 1527 CE).

The point is as a journalist you don't get to just throw up links to whatever you want.  You have to draw from evidence that is relevant to your statement or topic.

In Buzzfeed's video Snow White wears a stiff embroidered brim or cap that has a veil trailing beneath it.  This is very close to an English style worn in the first half of the sixteenth century.  German women abandoned the veil almost entirely at the beginning of the 1500's and had moved onto a flat cap and decorative hair net by the middle of the century.  The gollar and ruff shown are also fashioned after the English style.  As stated earlier, women of the Rhine Valley favored a standing collar.  The shoulders also take after the English style of shoulder rolls.   The narrow upper sleeve and voluminous lower sleeve is also English -- in fact the general cut and shape of the gown and headdress looks very much like what is worn in a portrait of Catherine Parr Tudor:

Catherine Parr Tudor, very notably NOT German

Bottom Line:

Buzzfeed managed to get the timeline about right and used better context clues than before but they failed to follow up.  The dress is modeled after the English Tudor style and not after German fashions common to the time and place they set for themselves.  Buzzfeed lost sight of the context of history by incorrectly crediting the influence for the fashion which, at the very least, a short Wikipedia search would have corrected.  On top of that, the links to their sources were either dead or irrelevant.  Given the inclusion of color, standing collar, square neckline, the fitted waist with separate skirt, and slashed sleeves, even Disney was more accurate.

As far as pop culture "historically accurate" versions go, my hat is off to Deviant Artist shoomlah: