Introduction

Studio Stone, or Atelier Stone, emerged from the photographic collaboration between the Belgian Wilhelmine Camille Honorine Schammelhout, known as Cami Stone, and the Russian Aleksander Serge Steinsapir, known as Sasha Stone, who were also a couple. They met in Berlin, where they established their studio in 1924. Although the name 'Stone' has faded somewhat into obscurity, they were among the leading photographers of their time. 

In 1920, the vibrant world of photography found new forms of expression through the avant-garde movements Neues Sehen ('New Vision') and Neue Sachlichkeit ('New Objectivity') that had emerged in Germany. The Stones were fully part of this avant-garde, as were many of their acquaintances in Berlin, Paris, and Brussels. They were prominently featured in the major ‘modern’ photography exhibitions of their era, and their work appeared in numerous magazines and illustrated newspapers of the time. 

In the early 1930s, the Stones left the German capital and moved to Brussels, where they opened a new studio. They continued to work there until their separation in 1939. Even afterwards, both continued to photograph: Sasha under the name 'Sasha Stone, art photographer' and Cami as 'Cami Schammelhout'. 

Exploring the work of the Stones reveals a wide range of photographic subjects: architecture, urban planning, nudes, performance photography, artistic and political portraits, and social reportage. Both photographers devoted equal attention to these various areas. Their publications covered advertising, industrial and artistic photography, and portraits of children, all in equally high quality. After relocating to Brussels, they maintained the same approach and thematic focus in their work as in their Berlin period. This consistency is also reflected in the technical and aesthetic quality of their photographs, marked by the use of low or high angles, dynamic framing, sharp focus, and careful attention to light. 

The Studio Stone exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the Musée de la Photographie in Charleroi and Amsab–Institute of Social History in Ghent. The full version of the exhibition was on view in Charleroi from 1 February to 18 May 2025. The Ghent edition is smaller in scale but focuses on highlights from the collection of Amsab-ISH, which includes more than 170 original prints, documents, and posters by the duo. 

Urban photography

Photography is a powerful means of communication. It allows you to form a visual impression of a city or region. In the 1920s, a type of work emerged that focused on geographical areas (countries, regions, or cities), combining text and photographs. Studio Stone captured images of Berlin, Ghent, Paris, and Brussels. The photographs in the book Berlin in Bildern present both the old and the new Berlin, a city on the verge of change. Sasha used both classical images and photographs made according to the principles of New Photography. His images of Berlin – some of which were published in Berlin in Bildern – sometimes reflect a desire to portray the city as a modern metropolis. Emphasis is placed on the verticality of buildings through the use of the low-angle perspective, on city traffic as a symbol of urban modernity at the time, on electricity with images of the Klingenberg power plant, and on the construction of the underground, a symbol of progress. 

Architecture

Another form of architectural photography focuses on individual buildings or interior design. Studio Stone often did this work on commission, for instance for a magazine. In this type of photography, the emphasis is on the ‘exact’ transcription of reality. The photographer does not seek a particular angle or composition but aims for clear lines, objectivity, and a frontal view, highlighting spatial understanding and clarity on the materials used. Shadows and light are employed to emphasize the materials, for example, the different reflections of glass, wood, and stone. Industrial architecture is also captured in this way. 

Modernity

In addition to the ‘rationalised’ and ‘objective’ photographs of architecture, the Stones explored other ways of evoking the modernity of their time. They focused, for instance, on striking architectural details, such as the metal arch of a bridge, or on the technical elements of an installation. They did not hesitate to photograph buildings from bold angles. In the same spirit, they also created close-ups to produce 'still lifes' of everyday objects. Rather than offering an objective view, their images thus create a new perspective. 

Theatre & dance

Photographs of performers on stage, backstage, and during rehearsals: the Stones—Sasha in particular—produced all kinds of 'show photography'. In Germany, director and founder of the proletarian theatre, Erwin Piscator, collaborated with Sasha Stone to photograph his new theatre. The photographer took countless images of actors during performances, rehearsals, and even of stage sets, all highlighting Piscator’s modern vision. His portraits of actresses and actors often share the same stylistic features: low-angle or high-angle shots, tight framing around the performers, dramatic lighting effects on stage, and frequently, an emphasized cast shadow. 

Political portraits

In 1929–1930, the Stones made a large number of portraits of politicians, commissioned by the Belgian parliament. When they arrived in Belgium a few years later, they continued their political portraiture. They also photographed members of the Belgian Workers’ Party. These photos often share similar characteristics: a framing focused on the face and upper body revealing one shoulder, a slight low-angle perspective, a gaze rarely directed at the lens, and a neutral background. Some photos, however, are exceptions, such as the portrait of August Balthazar, a member of the Belgian socialist party, featuring a surprising close-up framing of the face. 

Political Propaganda

Studio Stone often worked on commission, including for political parties. They created at least four posters for the Belgische Werkliedenpartij (BWP), the Belgian socialist party. These are compositions made from Studio Stone’s photographs, produced for elections or to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the BWP. The photos were originally taken in a different context and were often reused later for very different purposes. 

The 1932 poster Moeders! Denkt aan onze toekomst! Stemt rood!(Mothers! Think of our future! Vote Red!) is a good example. In the lower right corner, there is a portrait of a girl, photographed in 1930 under the title Pulings Family. This photo later appeared again in the March 1936 issue of the magazine La Famille Prévoyante. 

The photo series 5 minuten met Edward Anseele (5 Minutes with Edward Anseele) provides a visual report of the moment when Cami Stone showed the election poster design to Edward Anseele Sr., the leading figure of the BWP in Ghent. 

Publications

The Stones extensively published their work in newspapers and illustrated magazines of the time. Their first photographs appeared in the German press from 1925 onwards. After their arrival in Brussels, Studio Stone’s photos were also featured in many Belgian magazines and newspapers, including La Famille Prévoyante. 

Thanks to these numerous publications, Cami and Sasha Stone were not only among the most widely seen photographers of their time but also important promoters of the aesthetics of the New Photography. 

Portraits of celebrities

As long as the studio was active, the Stones made portraits of celebrities of their time. Although they mainly moved in artistic circles, they also photographed political figures and even scientists. The portrait of Albert Einstein is the most striking example. Among those who posed for them were director Erwin Piscator, writer and playwright Bertolt Brecht, and actress Lucie Carow. These photos reveal the extensive network the Stones had. From a stylistic point of view, most portraits were taken from a slight low-angle perspective (with the camera placed below the subject, lens pointing upwards). The background is generally neutral or blurred, and the framing is tight around the face and shoulders. 

Daily life snapshots

Although there is no historical evidence of a clear political commitment by the Stones, their work shows a distinct preference for social themes. From their Berlin years and Sasha Stone’s strong ties to Erwin Piscator’s proletarian theater, to their Belgian decade marked by numerous photographs for the Belgian socialist party, the Stones often expressed a connection to socialist ideology. Many of their photos reflect the conventions of ‘leftist political photography’: an interest in ‘small trades,’ the depiction of social misery, and the heroic portrayal of the working-class figure. At the same time, Cami and Sasha Stone developed an interest in anecdotal, even picturesque images of everyday life. 

Timeline

• June 27, 1892: Birth of Cami Stone, born Wilhelmine Camille Honorine Schammelhout, in Vilvoorde, Belgium. 

• December 16, 1895: Birth of Sasha Stone, born Aleksander Serge Steinsapir, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. 

• 1911–1913: Sasha trains as an electrical mechanic in Warsaw. 

• 1913: Sasha works in a small decorative ironwork company in New York under the name Alexander Stone, after having previously worked with sculptor Hunt Diederich. 

• 1914–1918: World War I // Sasha takes his first photographs and is recruited as a co-pilot and aviation instructor for the British Army. 

• 1916: The Dada intellectual and artistic movement is founded in Zurich under the leadership of Tristan Tzara. 

• Circa 1918: Sasha studies drawing and painting at a school in Bellevue near Paris, France. He establishes a small sculpture studio. 

• 1918: Cami settles in New York, where she establishes an import-export company. 

• 1918–1933: Rise of a new political regime in Germany known as the Weimar Republic. 

• 1919: Walter Gropius founds the Bauhaus, a school of architecture and applied arts, in Weimar, Germany. 

• June–July 1920: First International Dada Fair in Berlin, with John Heartfield as the official photomontage artist. 

• Circa 1920: Emergence of the artistic movement New Objectivity, whose first official exhibition takes place in 1925 at the Kunsthalle in Mannheim, Germany. 

• Circa 1920: Emergence of the New Vision art movement, rooted in principles established by the Bauhaus. 

• Circa 1921: Sasha moves to Berlin and studies under sculptor Alexander Archipenko. 

• 1924: Cami and Sasha Stone form a partnership and establish the Atelier Stone at 13 Kurfürstenstrasse in Berlin. 

• 1924: They exhibit at the Große Berliner Kunstausstellung as part of the Novembergruppe section and at the Juryfreie Kunstschau in Berlin. 

• 1925: László Moholy-Nagy publishes Painting. Photography. Film. 

• 1925–1926: The Stones appear to work exclusively with the German publishing house Ullstein, which publishes titles such as Uhu, Die Dame, and Der Querschnitt. 

• 1927: They move to a larger studio at 69 Kaiserin-Augusta-Strasse. 

• 1928: Sasha exhibits at the 1st Independent Photography Salon in Paris alongside Berenice Abbott, Germaine Krull, André Kertész, Man Ray, and Eugène Atget. 

• 1929: Man Ray and Lee Miller develop the photographic solarization process. 

• 1929: Cami and Sasha take part in the exhibition Fotografie der Gegenwart in Essen and Berlin. 

• 1929: They also participate, alongside Umbo, Heartfield, Lersky, and Moholy-Nagy, in the Internationale Ausstellung des Deutschen Werkbunds: Film und Foto (FiFo) in Stuttgart and Berlin. 

• 1929: Werner Gräff publishes Es kommt der neue Fotograf! in conjunction with FiFo, outlining the core principles of photographic avant-garde. 

• 1930: The Stones participate in three more exhibitions in Germany, including Das Lichtbild in Munich. 

• 1931: German philosopher Walter Benjamin, a friend of Sasha Stone, publishes A Small History of Photography, in which he mentions Sasha Stone. 

• September 1931: They move from Berlin to Brussels. Between 1931 and 1939, they live at 18 rue de Naples (Cami’s family home), 278 avenue de la Couronne, and 43 chaussée de Charleroi. 

• July 1932: International Photography Exhibition at the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels. Cami serves as secretary of the Belgian section with Victor Hennebert. 

• October 1932: They take part in the Fototentoonstelling in Ghent, alongside François Kollar and László Moholy-Nagy. 

• November 27, 1932: Belgian legislative elections. The Belgian Catholic Union wins, closely followed by the Belgian Labour Party. // The Stones design some of the election posters for the Belgian Labour Party. 

• January 1933: Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany. 

• June 1933: They exhibit the Nudes series at the Maison d’Art in Brussels. 

• June–July 1933: International Exhibition of Photography and Cinema at the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels. The Stones present two 'photographic panels.' 

• May 24, 1936: Belgian legislative elections. The Belgian Labour Party wins.

• Early 1939: Cami and Sasha separate, and the studio ceases activity. 

• 1939: Cami marries José Stork, an employee of the Stone Studio. 

• 1939: Sasha marries Lydia Edens, of Dutch origin. 

• 1939–1945: World War II // During the war, Cami continues working as a freelance photographer. 

• May 1940: Due to his Jewish origins, Sasha flees the German advance with Lydia, their son Serge (born in 1939), and the studio secretary Michelline de Keuwer. They settle in Villelongue-de-la-Salanque near Perpignan, France. On August 6, 1940, Sasha dies of pulmonary tuberculosis at the hospital in Perpignan. 

• 1940: Lydia Edens and Serge flee to the Netherlands. 

• 1948: Cami opens a photography store called Photo Jeunesse in Brussels, selling and buying photographic equipment and 'art photography.' The store closes in the early 1950s. 

• March 3, 1975: Cami Stone passes away, having worked in the final years of her life as secretary of a medical-social service for foreigners in Belgium.