Fredrikke Louise Nielsen (born Fredrikke Louise Jensen July 5, 1837, in

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipalities of Norway, municipality and List of towns and cities in Norway, town on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. As of December 2023, the municipality of Haugesund has a population of 37,855. The vast majority of ...

, died July 7, 1912, in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

), was a popular Norwegian actress and a women's pioneer. She played more than 300 roles in her twenty-six-year-long career, and was personally directed by both

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

and

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...

. Ibsen chose her to play Signe, one of the lead characters in '' The Feast at Solhaug'' (1856), which was his first audience success. In 1880, Nielsen left the stage and joined the

Methodist Movement Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christian tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother Charles Wesley were also significa ...

in Bergen. She now became a preacher, first in

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

, and later in the United States. She felt a strong social commitment and used the pulpit for preaching other topics than religion, such as women's and children's rights. Fredrikke Nielsen was married to actor

Harald Nielsen Harald Ingemann Nielsen (26 October 1941 – 11 August 2015) was a Danish association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. He played professionally for Italian club Bologna F.C. 1909, Bologna F.C. where ...

. She is also the great-grandmother of artist Gunnar Haugland.

The Norwegian Theatre, 1853–1861

Fredrikke Nielsen had her debut at The Norwegian Theatre (Det norske Theater) in Bergen December 14, 1853, in the play ''How she can lie''. She was only sixteen years old, but shortly afterward she got permanent employment at the theatre. She quickly won the hearts of the Bergen audience and professor in art history,

Lorentz Dietrichson Lorentz Henrik Segelcke Dietrichson (1 January 1834 Bergen - 6 March 1917) was a Norwegian poet and historian of art and literature. Biography Lorentz Henrik Segelcke Dietrichson was the son of Fredrik Dietrichson (1800–52) and Marie Heiber ...

, called her «Poetry personified on stage». (Noreng 1998:8). Nielsen stayed at the theatre in Bergen from 1853 to 1861. She was a highly respected tragedienne, and played several important roles, such as Rosalind in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' and Hjørdis in Ibsen's ''

The Vikings at Helgeland ''The Vikings at Helgeland'' (''Hærmændene paa Helgeland'') is Henrik Ibsen's seventh play. It was written during 1857 and first performed at Christiania Norske Theater in Oslo on 24 November 1858. The story takes place during the time of Eri ...

''. From 1853 to 1857 Fredrikke Nielsen was regularly directed by

. She developed a confidential relationship with him, and several examples of this can be found in her memoirs. She had great respect for him, both as a

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

and director. What he taught her at an early age, she later used in her own acting for the rest of her career. During the premiere of ''The Feast at Solhaug'', she writes that Ibsen approached her as she walked nervously in the wings waiting for her cue. He held his hands over her head, and said: "Let all the Lord's angels be with you" (Nielsen 1998:90), before he pushed her out on stage.

Henrik Ibsen's muse

Both professor Arild Haaland and psychologist

Arne Duve Arne may refer to: Places * Arne, Dorset, England, a village ** Arne RSPB reserve, a nature reserve adjacent to the village * Arné, Hautes-Pyrénées, Midi-Pyrénées, France * Arne (Boeotia), an ancient city in Boeotia, Greece * Arne (Thessaly), ...

almost took for granted that there must have been a romantic connection between Fredrikke and the young Henrik Ibsen (Duve 1977, Haaland 1978:173). Professor

Harald Noreng Harald Noreng (25 April 1913 – 7 February 2006) was a Norwegian literary researcher and lexicographer. Personal life He was born on the island of Hisøya in the municipality of Hisøy in 1913. He was the son of boat builder Johan Wilhelm Ha ...

, who published her memoirs, also points to a possible relationship between the two. He has, specifically referring to the later contemporary dramas, added a chapter where he strongly suggests that Fredrikke may have inspired the playwright. Noreng draws several parallels between her dramatic life and Ibsen's works. Examples of close biographical connections with Ibsen's female dramatic characters can be found in plays like: '' Olaf Liljekrans'', ''

'', ''

Love's Comedy ''Love's Comedy'' () is a comedy by Henrik Ibsen. It was first published on 29 December 1862. As a result of being branded an " immoral" work in the press, the Christiania Theatre would not dare to stage it at first. "The play aroused a storm of ...

'', ''

Ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

'', ''

The Wild Duck ''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It explores the complexities of truth and illusion through the story of a family torn apart by secrets and the intrusion of a ...

'', ''

The Lady from the Sea ''The Lady from the Sea'' () is a Play (theatre), play written in 1888 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen inspired by the ballad ''Agnete og Havmanden''. The drama introduces the character of Hilde Wangel who is again portrayed in Ibsen's late ...

'' and ''

When We Dead Awaken ''When We Dead Awaken'' () is the last play written by Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. Published in December 1899, Ibsen wrote the play between February and November of that year. The first performance was at the Haymarket Theatre in London, a ...

''. (Noreng 1998:110–158). Ibsen left Bergen 1857, and after that it is not known whether the two ever met again. What we do know is that Fredrikke Nielsen, 69 years old, went to Kristiania in 1906 to take part in Henrik Ibsen's funeral. She stood in line with ten thousands of other people who wanted to show their respect at his ''lit de parade''. Here she made a short speech, where she thanked him for the roles, and put down a small bouquet of wildflowers.

Marriage and family

November 27, 1856, Fredrikke Nielsen married actor Harald Andreas Nielsen. The couple had ten children, but only six of them reached adulthood.

Trondheim, 1861–1876

In 1861 Fredrikke Nielsen and her husband moved house to work at The Norwegian Theatre in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

. When the theatre went bankrupt, Harald Nielsen started his own theatre, where Fredrikke Nielsen played great roles. She also travelled on her own and had guest appearances on all the greatest stages in Scandinavia. She also made dramatic readings. They lived in Trondheime until 1876, when she was hired by the new National Stage (Den Nationale Scene) in

, and the family moved back to her hometown.

The National Stage 1876–1880

On October 27, 1876, Fredrikke Nielsen played Hjørdis in Ibsen's ''

'' at the opening show at The National Stage in Bergen. Actress

Octavia Sperati Octavia Sperati, formerly known as Octavia, is a Norwegian gothic metal band from Bergen, Norway. The group released their debut album '' Winter Enclosure'' in 2005. Their second album, '' Grace Submerged'', was released in May 2007. Both albu ...

remembered that "Mrs. Fredrikke Nielsen's imaginative and demonic Hjørdis was very effective …" (Sperati 1911:89). Professor Harald Noreng has also mentioned that Fredrikke Nielsen in this play was able to expose the "dark and aggressive aspects of her artistic temperament …" (Noreng 1998:114). in the following four years, Nielsen was the theatre's leading

prima donna In opera or ''commedia dell'arte'', a prima donna (; Italian for 'first lady'; : ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the ''prime'' roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pe ...

Methodist preacher and women's pioneer

Fredrikke Nielsen painted by Knud Bergslien

Around the same time, the theatre at last decided to stage Ibsen's long denounced play

. Fredrikke Nielsen had probably recognized aspects of herself in the play's protagonist, Svanhild, when the controversial piece came out, and therefore had learned all the lines, but no theaters dared to put it up. Now sixteen years later, she was too old for her dream role, and was forced to play Svanhild's mother. This artistic defeat probably contributed to her entering into a deep existential crisis. The following year, she left her position at The National Stage, and June 17, 1880, she made her last performance, as Miss Bernick in Ibsen's ''

The Pillars of Society ''The Pillars of Society'' (or "Pillars of the Community"; original Norwegian title: ''Samfundets støtter'') is an 1877 play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen had great trouble with the writing of this play. The ending is ...

''. After that she never set her foot in a theater again. She underwent a religious revival, and became a Methodist preacher. In the following thirty years, Fredrikke Nielsen travelled around preaching. First only in the Scandinavian countries, but after her husband died in 1881, she travelled to the United States, where three of her daughters had settled. Here she preached for the Scandinavian Methodists, and managed to get through most of the continent. Her social commitment led her to also use the pulpit for issues other than religion. She fought for women's rights, to better single mothers' role in society, for inheritance rights for children of single mothers and for the education and upbringing of children. She was a popular speaker and she also wrote newspaper articles about these issues. At a time when being a woman in itself could be a challenge, Fredrikke Nielsen continued to travel until the end of her life.

Trivia

Wedding-song from Henrik Ibsen

When Fredrikke and Harald were married, Bergen Cathedral was filled with guests and people wanting to see the event. Henrik Ibsen wrote a song for the occasion:

Lost memoirs

Fredrikke Nielsen wrote her memoirs and left a large manuscript when she died. It was accepted at

Gyldendal Gyldendalske Boghandel, Nordisk Forlag A/S, usually referred to simply as Gyldendal (), is a Danish publishing house. Founded in 1770 by Søren Gyldendal, it is the oldest and largest publishing house in Denmark, offering a wide selection of ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, and the book was about to be printed when family withdrew it at the last minute. Of fear of scandal, the complete manuscript was destroyed. In 1980, a stack of yellow papers surfaced in the attic of Fredrikke Nielsen's grandson in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. This turned out to be a Swedish translation of the first third, meant for Scandinavian

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

s in the United States. Luckily this was the part of the memoirs containing her childhood, her theatre debut, and the years working with Henrik Ibsen. Professor Harald Noreng acquired the manuscript, and in 1998 it was released by the publishing house Novus in Oslo.

Galleri

File:Fredrikke Nielsen earliest photo.jpg, The earliest photo of Fredrikke Nielsen. Private owner. File:Fredrikke Nielsen in golden frame.jpg, An early photo of Fredrikke Nielsen in golden frame. Private owner. File:Fredrikke Nielsen as Jane Eyre Andreas Photo Mathias Anderssen Bergen.jpg, Fredrikke Nielsen in her favourite role play as

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...

, . Photo by Andreas Mathias Anderssen. File:Fredrikke Nielsen daguerreotypi.jpg, Daguerreotypi of Fredrikke Nielsen from the 1860-ies. Taken by unknown. Brita Rojahn (owner). File:Fredrikke Nielsen portrait.jpg, Fredrikke Nielsen in Bergen, ca 1860. Photo by Andreas Mathias Anderssen. The Theatre Archives, University of Bergen. File:Fredrikke Nielsen as teenager.jpg, Fredrikke Nielsen in Trondheim, ca 1855. Photo by Charles Foss. Nora Schwabe-Hansen (owner). File:Fredrikke Nielsen as Hjördis in 1859.jpg, Fredrikke Nielsen as Hjørdis in ''

'' at The Norwegian Theater, 1859. Photo by

(?). The Theatre Archives, University of Bergen. File:Fredrikke Nielsen in nice gown.jpg, Portrait of Fredrikke Nielsen in nice gown, . Photo by Hans Krum(?). The Theatre Archives, University of Bergen. File:Fredrikke Nielsen painted by Knud Bergslien.png, The Preacher. Oil painting by

Knud Bergslien Knud Larsen Bergslien (15 May 1827 – 27 November 1908) was a Norwegian painter, art teacher and master artist. In his art, he frequently portrayed the lives of the Norwegian people, their history and heroes of the past. Bergslien is most asso ...

. The Theatre Archives, University of Bergen. File:Ny illustreret Tidende No 49 1878.jpg, ''Ny illustreret Tidende'' No. 49. 8. December 1878. Xylograph by Hans Christian Olsen. Norsk Folkemuseum, The Ibsen Museum, Oslo. File:Fredrikke Nielsen Photo Eggan Bros.jpg, Portrait photo by Eggan Bros, Washington. Oslo Museum TM.T01700. File:Fredrikke Nielsen Joh van der Fehr ca 1865.jpg, Cabinet photo by Joh. Van der Fehr. Oslo Museum TM.T01698. File:Fredrikke Nielsen Photo Harald Nielsen Bergen.jpg, Fredrikke Nielsen's photo taken in Bergen in the 1870-ies by

, Oslo Museum TM.T.02156a. File:Fredrikke Nielsen Photo Marie Bull.jpg, Fredrikke Nielsen's portrait taken by earlier actress, Marie Midling Bull in Bergen. Oslo Museum TM.T01253. File:Fredrikke Nielsen Photo N Wingaard.jpg, Photo of Fredrikke Nielsen taken by N. Wingaard. Oslo Museum TN.T.01251. File:Fredrikke Nielsen Ukjent fotograf ca 1865 TM T01696.jpg, Fredrikke Nielsen with a book on her knees. Oslo Museum TM.T01696. File:Fredrikke Nielsen Unknown photographer ca 1865 TM T01697.jpg, Fredrikke Nielsen by a pedestal. Oslo Museum TM.T01697. File:Fredrikke Nielsen Unknown photographer ca 1875 TM T01699a.jpg, Fredrikke Nielsen at the desk. Oslo Museum TM.T01699a. File:Fredrikke Nielsen Unknown photographer ca 1865 TM T01695.jpg, Visit card photography by

. Oslo Museum TM.T01695. File:Visitkort av Fredrikke Nilsen - no-nb digifoto 20160309 00096 blds 07952.jpg, Visit card photography by

. The National Library. File:Portrett av Fredrikke Nielsen - no-nb digifoto 20160309 00092 blds 07953.jpg, Fredrikke Nielsen 74 years old. Greeting to the married author couple Hulda and

Arne Garborg Arne Garborg (born Aadne Eivindsson Garborg) (25 January 1851 – 14 January 1924) was a Norwegian writer. Garborg championed the use of Landsmål (now known as Nynorsk, or New Norwegian), as a literary language; he translated the Odyssey into i ...

, dated 20. December 1911. The National Library. File:Gjestespillende kvinnelige skuespillere i Trondheim 1854.jpg,

Daguerreotype Daguerreotype was the first publicly available photography, photographic process, widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre and introduced worldwid ...

of the actresses at the first Norwegian Theater, 1856. From left: Ms. Sørensen(?), Birgitte Cornelia Rojahn, Louise Brun, Janny Grip Isachsen, Fredrikke Louise Nielsen and Benedicte Hundevadt. Photo by Hans Krum. NTNU University Library.

External links

The Great Norwegian Encyclopedia

Bibliography

*Blanc, Tharald: ''Norges første nationale Scene (Bergen 1850-1863). Et Bidrag til den norske dramatiske Kunsts Historie''. Kristiania 1884. Albert Cammermeyer. *Blytt, Peter: ''Minder fra den første norske Scene i Bergen i 1850-Aarene.'' (2. opl.). 1907. *Duve, Arne: ''The Real Drama Of Henrik Ibsen?'' Oslo 1977. Lanser. *Edvardsen, Erik Henning: «Kjærlighedens Komedie, Illustreret Nyhedsblad og Hollenderkretsen» (s. 103–134) In: Eivind Tjønneland (red): "Gloria Amoris. Henrik Ibsens Kjærlighedens Komedie 150 år". Bergen 2012. Alvheim & Eide Akademisk Forlag. *Folkebladet: «Den første nationale Scene i Bergen» (s. 19-28). ''Folkebladet'' No. 2. 31te Januar 1900. *Garmann, Fredrik: ''En skuespillers Oplevelser. Erindringer fra mit theaterliv ved Holger Sinding''. Kristiania 1900.

Aschehoug H. Aschehoug & Co. (W. Nygaard), commonly known as Aschehoug,() is one of the largest independent publishing companies in Norway, founded in 1872. Headquartered in Oslo, the publishing house has 480 employees. The Aschehoug group also comprises o ...

. * Haaland, Arild: ''Ibsens verden''. Oslo 1978.

Gyldendal Norsk Forlag Gyldendal Norsk Forlag AS, commonly referred to as Gyldendal N.F. and in Norway often only as Gyldendal, is one of the largest Norway, Norwegian publishing houses. It was founded in 1925 after buying rights to publications from the Denmark, Dan ...

. *Heggøy, Willy: ''Den skjønne Fredrikke. Om Fredrikke Nielsen''.

Nasjonalbiblioteket The National Library of Norway () was established in 1989. Its principal task is "to preserve the past for the future". The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana. The building in Oslo was restored and reopened in 2005. Prior to the ex ...

NBO Ms. 4° 4305. *HIS = Henrik Ibsens skrifter. .e. Collected Works *Jensson, Inger: ''Biografisk skuespillerleksikon. Norske, danske og svenske skuespillere på norske scener særlig på 1800-tallet''. Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø. Universitetsforlaget. *Nielsen, Fredrikke: ''Minnen från min barndom och mina första ungdomsår''. Ibsenhuset og Grimstad Bymuseum. Skrifter nr. 7. Oslo 1998. Novus Forlag. (h). * Noreng, Harald: Tillegg. Henrik Ibsens diktning i Fredrikke Nielsens liv og Fredrikke Nielsens liv Henrik Ibsens diktning. I: Fredrikke Nielsen: ''op. cit.''. Oslo 1998. *Sperati, Octavia: ''Teatererindringer''. Gyldendalske Boghandel, nordisk Forlag. Kristiania og Kjøbenhavn 1911. *Sperati, Octavia: ''Fra det gamle Komediehus''. Gyldendalske Boghandel, nordisk Forlag. Kristiania og Kjøbenhavn 1916. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Fredrikke 1837 births 1912 deaths Norwegian stage actresses 19th-century Norwegian actresses Norwegian Methodists Actresses from Bergen