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Royal Niger Company Soldiery

Image Historical Events
A group of uniformed personnel with rifles standing in a linear formation with a mounted officer on horseback.
Royal Niger Company Soldiery, Niger River region, c. 1886-1895. Photographed by William Henry Crosse.

A photograph depicting a large group of approximately 45 to 55 individuals arranged in a formal, shoulder-to-shoulder linear formation. The personnel are wearing matching light-colored short-sleeved shirts and shorts, with most holding long-barreled firearms. To the far left, a single individual is positioned on horseback wearing a light-colored uniform and a pith helmet. The scene is set on a flat, open parade ground backed by a picket fence and dense tropical vegetation, including tall palm trees. In the distance, structures with pitched roofs and a vertical spire are visible. The image, part of the Crosse Collection, is identified by a manuscript note as 'Soldiery' and was taken by William Henry Crosse, Principal Medical Officer of the Royal Niger Company, between 1886 and 1895.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Aug 26, 2026

This image was captured on a glass negative quarterplate and was originally stored in a wooden box (numbered C342/) alongside other negatives. It was accompanied by a manuscript note written in pencil that explicitly mentions "Soldiery." While initially attributed to Ernest Balfour Haddon, research conducted by MAA Cambridge later corrected the attribution to William Henry Crosse.

Onyeka Nwokike

Aug 26, 2026

The personnel depicted in this photograph are identified as members of the Royal Niger Company Constabulary Force.

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