This is Prince Tshukuma/Chukwuma as depicted by Dr. William Balfour Baikie. He skillfully recreated all the European clothing he is wearing, which astonished Dr. Baikie.
So much so that Dr. Baikie chose to feature him on the cover of his book.
In Hourton’s analysis of Prince Tshukuma: “When the 1854 expedition ascended the Niger, the Commissioner, upon meeting the son of the late Obi of Aboh, Tshukuma by name, found him dressed in this manner, prepared to receive him.
He wore a woolen nightcap, a white shirt, and pants of native make, fashioned after a distinctly Dutch design. His younger brother, who came aboard, appeared in homemade scarlet trousers, a scarlet uniform coat, a pink beaver hat, and a red worsted nightcap underneath to make it fit—no shoes, beads around his neck, and in his hand a sword from the Niger Expedition.
These men had never been to the coast and had no direct or indirect contact with civilized men from whom they could learn these customs. Their imitative ability must have been sparked by the 1841 Expedition, which only stayed in their town for a few hours, yet they remembered and reproduced what had impressed them. This imitative quality is crucial for civilization and progress.
References:
Dr. Baikie, W. B. (1856) – Narrative of an Exploring Voyage Up the Rivers Kwóra and Bínue (commonly known as the Niger and Tsádda) in 1854.
