Wooburn is considered the first ‘ferme ornée’, or ornamental farm. The farm, which appeared only during the 1700s and 1800s, embraced Romantic ideals of forming a harmonious relationship between man and nature.
Ferme ornée was coined as a phrase by garden designer Stephen Switzer in his 1718 book Iconographia Rustica: or the Nobleman, Gentleman and Gardener’s Recreation. He discusses combining a working farm with landscaping, stating that ‘…Profit and Pleasure may be agreeably mix’d together’. The ladies in this scene seem to be enjoying watching the cow being milked nearby.
Ref: 2011.097