Boat with British Ensign, Congo, ca. 1900-1915

Black and white lantern slide showing a large wooden boat flying the British Ensign, a flag flown to designate a military or civilian ship. Since this boat is a civilian vessel, it will fly the Red Ensign. A European male missionary can be seen standing on deck in breeches, shirt and carrying his pith helmet. He is surrounded by Congolese men, women and children in traditional dress, some of whom propel the boat with long poles. This slide comes from a collection generated by missionaries working for the Congo Balolo Mission, a mission begun in 1889 under the supervision of the East London Training Institute for Home and Foreign Missions that developed into the interdenominational evangelical mission Regions Beyond Missionary Union after 1900.