John Izard Middleton (August 13, 1785 – October 5, 1849) was an American

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeol ...

and artist who was dubbed "the first American Classical Archaeologist" by

Charles Eliot Norton Charles Eliot Norton (November 16, 1827 – October 21, 1908) was an American author, social critic, and Harvard professor of art based in New England. He was a progressive social reformer and a liberal activist whom many of his contemporaries c ...

.Norton, Charles Eliot, ''American Journal of Archaeology'', 1 (1885):3-9.

Early life

Middleton was born in Saint Andrews, just outside

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

on August 13, 1785. He was the son of Mary Izard and

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

man Arthur Middleton who signed the

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. They lived at Middleton Place, which his elder brother

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(later

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the ''ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

and Minister to Russia) inherited. His paternal grandparents were Henry Middleton and Mary Baker Williams, both of English descent.

Career

Admitted to

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 1803, though it is doubtful if he resided, John Middleton spent a good part of his adult life traveling in France and in Italy. While in Italy he was attracted to the remains of ancient sites, particularly those in Latium (modern Lazio). Inspired perhaps by the work of the Frenchman Louis-Charles-Francois Petit-Radel (author of ''Voyage historique cronographique et philosophique dans le principales villes des l’Italie'' (Paris, 1815); ''Recherches sur le Monuments Cyclopéens'' (Paris, 1841)), Middleton made observations and sketches of the sites he visited. Middleton executed the drawings while traveling in Italy during 1808 and 1809 and considered his work an artistic achievement. He attributed more importance to the drawings than the text, but because it appeared during a time of turmoil in Europe, his work received slight attention from contemporaries. Some of the drawings appeared in later works on archaeology without credit to Middleton, notably those of

Edward Dodwell Edward Dodwell (30 November 176713 May 1832) was an Irish painter, traveller and a writer on archaeology. Biography Dodwell was born in Ireland and belonged to the same family as Henry Dodwell, the theologian. He was educated at Trinity Colle ...

with whom Middleton travelled. He compiled the sketches from his travels in 1808 and 1809 in order to publish as a folio-sized book, ''Grecian remains in Italy: a description of Cyclopian walls, and of Roman antiquities.''

Personal life

In 1810, he married Eliza Augusta Falconet, a daughter of Jean Louis de Palézieux-Falconnet, a Swiss banker in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, and the former Anna Hunter, an American from

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

who was the sister of

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

William Hunter. Eliza's sister, Anne Henriette, was the wife of James-Alexandre de Pourtalès. Three children were born to the Middletons, but all died young. Middleton died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1849. His remains were returned to the United States for burial at Middleton Place,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Publications

*''Grecian remains in Italy: a description of Cyclopian walls, and of Roman antiquities. With topographical and picturesque views of ancient Latium.'' London: Printed for Edward Orme by W. Bulmer and Co., 1812. *''Views and Description of Cyclopean or Pelasgic remains in Greece and Italy '', London, 1934.

References

External links

John Izard Middleton Sketchbook
from the University of South Carolina
Family Art Work
digital collection at

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, John Izard American archaeologists 1785 births 1849 deaths American expatriates in France