Marie Magdalene Bull facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marie Magdalene Bull
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| Born | October 25, 1827 Bergen, Norway
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| Died | July 17, 1907 (aged 79) Bergen, Norway
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| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Occupation | Photographer |
Marie Magdalene Bull (born October 25, 1827 – died July 17, 1907) was a talented Norwegian actress and a pioneering photographer. She played a main role in the very first show at Bergen's Det norske Theater, which was Norway's first theater to perform in Norwegian. After marrying Edvard Storm Bull, the theater's music director, in 1851, she stopped acting. She then started a new career as a photographer and opened her own studio.
Biography
Early Life and Acting Career
Marie Magdalene Midling was born in Bergen, Norway, on October 25, 1827. Her parents were Wilhelm Christian Midling, who was an auctioneer, and Maria Magdalena Herlufsen.
She grew up in Bergen. On July 25, 1849, she saw an advertisement in the newspaper. It announced that Det norske Theater was opening soon. This was a very special theater because it was the first in Norway to perform plays in the Norwegian language. The advertisement asked for people who wanted to work there.
Marie quickly applied and was hired as an actress and dancer. She performed at the theater's first practice show for a special audience on November 21, 1849. The official opening of the theater was on January 2, 1850. For this big event, Marie played the character Pernille in a play called Henrik og Pernille by Ludvig Holberg. She acted alongside Johannes Brun, who played Henrik. Critics really liked her performance.
From Stage to Studio: Becoming a Photographer
On January 6, 1851, Marie married Edvard Storm Bull (1814–1907). He was the music director for the theater. His brother, Ole Bull, was a famous violinist and also the director of the theater. Marie and Edvard had seven children together.
Back then, it was common for women to stop working after they got married. So, Marie left her acting job in November 1850, just before her wedding. Even though she stopped acting, she still loved the theater. She wrote about the theater's early days in her memories. She also described the company's first tour to Kristiansund in the summer of 1850.
After leaving the theater, Marie found a new passion: photography. She opened her own photography studio. She hired a German assistant named Maximilian Behrends (1839–1903). He worked with her until 1867, when he opened his own studio in Bergen.
Many of Marie Bull's photographs are still around today. One of her oldest known works is from 1855. It is a picture of Johannes Brun, her former acting partner, performing in a play called Hun skal debutere.
Marie Magdalene Bull passed away in Bergen on July 17, 1907.
