The King of Silent Animation made me immediately think that Lotte Reiniger[1] must be its Queen. Now, the King in the article is not a creator but a contemporary collector but you might enjoy the Lotte Reiniger piece as well.
If we're talking about early masters of stop-motion, Ladislas Starevich also deserves a mention (although his most famous film, Le Roman de Renard had sound).
Linked in the article, Somewhere in Dreamland [1] has been a staple "Christmas movie" in our family since my daughters were very young. Besides admiring the amazing animation tricks in the piece I like the song and the way it reminds me of my own childhood (wishing for those things I knew my mother could not afford). Very sweet.