George H. Gordon (1823-1886) was a Framingham resident and the town’s highest ranking officer in the Civil War. When war broke out in 1861, Gordon — a West Point graduate and seasoned soldier — was commissioned Colonel and Commanding Officer of the 2nd Mass Regiment. After the war, Gordon returned to Framingham, where he lived out the remainder of his life.
In 1887, a group of Framingham citizens commissioned Daniel Chester French to create a bust of Gordon’s likeness to place in the new Civil War Memorial Library. The result, which rests on a mahogany pedestal of French’s own design, was displayed at a gallery in Boston before coming to the Edgell Memorial Library.
French — the artist behind Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial and Minute Man at the Old North Bridge in Concord — is considered one of the most important and prolific American sculptors of all time. His mark can be found on the back of Gordon’s left shoulder.
Here, the head is slightly tilted, as if Gordon has suddenly heard or seen something. French cleverly animated his portraits this way. Later, if asked to model a bust, French often quoted an exorbitant price. Ultimately, cost didn’t matter when the most accomplished American sculptor agreed to create a timeless work of art.