This picture shows an example of the Black Swan type of Stern Wheel Canoes. Shallow drafts were essential for plying the constantly shifting sandbanks of the River Niger and its tributaries. River was by far the most important form of transportation until enough railway was laid down. This particular picture is from 1905 so could well be the Black Swan and if not at least one of her sister vessels.
Image courtesy of Mersea Museum
Charles Orr's Memoirs Volume 4
