G. T. Clark was the manager of Dowlais Ironworks, an engineer, and a surgeon. He was heavily involved in public affairs in Merthyr Tydfil, particularly in the areas of public health, sanitation, and education. He was also an antiquarian and historian, writing several volumes of work relating to the history of Glamorgan. This bust was commissioned by the Merthyr Tydfil Board of Guardians in 1872 and formerly stood in the board room of the Merthyr Workhouse. Joseph Edwards is a sculptor from Merthyr Tydfil. His father was a stone cutter and Joseph began carving ornamental work on gravestones as a boy. He entered the Royal Academy in 1837, where he exhibited 69 works between 1878 and 1879. He twice won a silver medal from the Academy for 'best model from the antique'.