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Marie Magdalene Bull née Midling (25 October 1827 – 17 July 1907) was a Norwegian actress who took a leading role in the first performance at
Born 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 ...
's Det norske Theater. Following her marriage to the theatre's conductor Edvard Storm Bull, in 1851 she gave up acting to become a photographer, opening her own studio.
Biography
Born 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 ...
on 25 October 1827, Marie Magdelene Midling was the daughter of the auctioneer Wilhelm Christian Midling and Maria Magdalena Herlufsen.
She grew up in Bergen where, on 25 July 1849, she saw an advertisement in the paper announcing the opening of Det norske Theater, the country's first Norwegian-speaking theatre. It called for applications from those interested in working there. She immediately applied and was taken on as an actress and dancer, performing at the theatre's first rehearsal with an invited audience on 21 November 1849 and at the official opening on 2 January 1850. She played Pernille in Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Denmark–Norway, Dano–Norwegian dual monarchy. He was infl ...
's ''Henrik og Pernille'', against Johannes Brun
Johannes Finne Brun (10 March 1832 – 7 March 1890) was a Norwegian stage actor.
Brun was born in Verdal Municipality, Verdal. He made his stage debut as the character "Henrik" in Ludvig Holberg, Holberg's comedy ''Den Vægelsindede'' on ...
as Henrik. The performance was well received by the critics.
On 6 January 1851, she married Edvard Storm Bull (1814–1907), the theatre's music director and the brother of the theatre's director Ole Bull
Ole Bornemann Bull (; 5 February 181017 August 1880) was a Norwegian virtuoso violinist and composer. According to Robert Schumann, he was on a level with Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his playing.
Biography
Background
Bull was ...
who was also a celebrated violinist. Together they had seven children. In accordance with the traditions of the day, she gave up her work as an actress in November 1850 just before her wedding. She nevertheless maintained an interest in the theatre, describing in her memoirs the theatre's beginnings and the company's first tour to Kristiansund
Kristiansund (, ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality on the western coast of Norway in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal counties of Norway, county. The admin ...
in the summer of 1850.
On leaving the theatre, she turned to photography, opening her own studio. She employed German born Maximilian Behrends (1839–1903) as her assistant until he opened his own studio in the city in 1867. Several of Marie Bull's works have been preserved. One of the oldest, dated 1855, is a photograph of Johannes Brun performing in ''Hun skal debutere''.
Marie Magdalene Bull died in Bergen on 17 July 1907.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bull, Marie Magdalene 1827 births 1907 deaths 19th-century Norwegian photographers Norwegian women photographers 19th-century Norwegian actresses Norwegian stage actresses Actresses from Bergen 19th-century women photographers Photographers from Bergen