Mary Banks (1841 - 1920) (often cited as an Englishwoman) is best known for her long-term, significant relationship with the renowned Norwegian sculptor
Ambrosia Tønnesen.Partner Ambrosia Tønnesen
Queer Places:
Hordamuseet, Hordnesvegen 24, 5244 Fana, Norway
Møllendal Church Cemetery, Møllendalsveien 56 B, 5009 Bergen, Norway
Mary Banks (1841 - 1920) (often cited as an Englishwoman) is best known for her long-term, significant relationship with the renowned Norwegian sculptor
Ambrosia Tønnesen.
Mary Banks and Ambrosia Tønnesen met in Paris in 1888. The two lived together for over 30 years, creating a life partnership that lasted until Mary’s death.
They spent many years living in Paris, where Tønnesen was based for her career as a sculptor. In 1910, they returned to Bergen, Norway, and purchased a home in the Wergeland area. This home, often referred to as the "Ambrosia House" (Ambrosiahuset), was later moved to the Hordamuseet at Stend in 1992.
The original house, Runeplass, was located in the Wergeland area of Bergen, where Ambrosia Tønnesen and Mary Banks lived after returning to Norway. When the site was slated for redevelopment or changes in the late 20th century, the structure was deemed historically significant enough to be saved rather than demolished. In 1992, the building was physically dismantled, transported, and reconstructed at the Hordamuseet (the Horda Museum), an open-air cultural history museum located at Stend, south of Bergen city center.
While historical records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries did not use the terms "lesbian" or "homosexual" in common Norwegian parlance, their bond is widely characterized by researchers as a significant, committed "romantic friendship." Friends of Tønnesen once famously wrote in a song for her that "Mary was the best thing in her life."
Mary Banks and Ambrosia Tønnesen are buried together in the same grave in Bergen, Norway.
Information regarding Mary Banks's personal life prior to meeting Tønnesen is limited in historical records, and she is frequently conflated with other figures of the same name (such as the American writer Mary Ross Banks or the 17th-century Royalist Lady Mary Bankes). Based on the available documentation regarding Tønnesen’s life, Mary Banks is primarily identified through her enduring partnership with the sculptor.
It is worth noting that some sources mention Mary passing away around 1920 (based on their residence in Bergen), while others broadly associate their 30-plus-year relationship with the span of Tønnesen's life.
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