Stolpersteine NRW – Graphic Stories

The illustrator Amelie Stute is drawing graphic stories for the project "Stolpersteine NRW". A tale about challenges, emotional moments and moving stories.

By Western Broadcasting Corporation (North Rhine-Westphalia)

Farben und Tuschen stehen auf einem SchreibtischOriginal Source: WDR / Matthias Ehring

Colors, ink, and paper

Colors and ink are lined up side by side on Amelie Stute's desk. For the WDR project "Stolpersteine NRW – For Remembering”, the illustrator first draws on paper before transferring the designs to a tablet.

Skizzen der Illustratorin Amelie StuteOriginal Source: WDR / Matthias Ehring

Illustrated (his)stories

Graphic stories are illustrated biographies of the people the Stolpersteine are installed for. They are based on correspondence or eyewitness testimonies. More than 200 such illustrated life stories can be found in the app and on the website "Stolpersteine NRW".

Illustratorin Amelie Stute zeichnet Graphic StorysOriginal Source: WDR / Matthias Ehring

Art meets history

Amelie Stute studies visual communication at the Kassel University of Arts with a focus on illustration and editorial design. The Cologne native belongs to a group of 20 students and graduates, who realize the graphic stories in very different ways.

Schatten der Illustratorin Amelie StuteOriginal Source: WDR / Matthias Ehring

Illustrations by Amelie Stute

Users can discover eight graphic stories by Cologne illustrator Amelie Stute in the app and on the website.

Leo Gompertz telefoniert und sieht vom Fenster aus eine brennende Synagoge, Original Source: WDR / Amelie Stute

Moritz Lesser steht in einem Wohnzimmer, in dem sich viele Pakete stapeln., Original Source: WDR / Amelie Stute

Banner der Nationalsozialisten rufen zum Boykott jüdischer Geschäfte auf, Original Source: WDR / Amelie Stute

Werner Cohen verabschiedet sich von seinen Eltern, Original Source: WDR / Amelie Stute

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Excerpts from the graphic stories illustrated by Amelie Stute

Kurt Winter heiratet seine Freundin Hilde, Original Source: WDR / Amelie Stute

Ein SS-Mann mit einer Axt steht in der Tür, Original Source: WDR / Amelie Stute

Deborah Funke sitzt am Tisch und schreibt einen Brief., Original Source: WDR / Amelie Stute

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Hans Abraham Ochs liegt gekrümmt auf dem BodenOriginal Source: WDR / Amelie Stute

Hans – A boy from Cologne

The work on the illustrations isn’t always easy. Amelie Stute is particularly preoccupied with the story of Hans Abraham Ochs. Like her, he grows up in Cologne - until he dies a horrible death at the age of eight.

Bleistift-Skizzen für das Projekt "Stolpersteine NRW" der Illustratorin Amelie StuteOriginal Source: WDR / Matthias Ehring

Diving into the past

What do clothes or prams look like of that time, what is the architecture of the buildings like? For her graphic stories, Amelie Stute researches old documents on the internet and in libraries

More information on the project "Stolpersteine NRW - For Remembering" and the work of illustrator Amelie Stute on stolpersteine.wdr.de

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

Western Broadcasting Corporation (North Rhine-Westphalia)

Stories from Western Broadcasting Corporation (North Rhine-Westphalia)

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