Since the early days of colonial America, samplers have been used to display a young woman’s skills at needlepoint, sewing, and embroidery, thereby showing her potential as a wife and mother. Samplers illustrated the difference between American and European women at the time, as the former were routinely educated in country schoolhouses and literate. The best samplers are dated, exhibit their location of origin, and often bear the young lady’s name. This Antique 1790s American Federal Period “1796 / oakm, Mass / Margaret G.” Schoolgirl Young Lady’s Framed Sampler is in Very Good Condition, with some scattered scuffing to the front edges of the frame, some scattered brownish soiling to the cardboard backing, and with some scattered age wear evident. Otherwise, the sampler is in fine shape, with absolutely no rips, holes, tears, or other damage. Most interestingly, it features the capital letters of the alphabet embroidered along three rows at the upper front (though she did forget the “J”), above the date, “1796”, carries the location, “oak m, Mass” (undoubtedly the town of Oakham, Massachusetts in Worcester County), embroidered at the middle left front, and bears the young lady’s name, “Margaret / G.”, embroidered at the lower right front (the “g” in Margaret appears to be backward). The town being misspelled is common for the period; even highly educated individuals at the time, from Thomas Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis, frequently misspelled words and locations. It also exhibits an iron cross, a heart, a crown, and a deer embroidered around the front, with the entirety of the embroidery executed in brown, red, green, and black on a light brown muslin base, measures 9 1/2” x 8 1/8” in an old, elegant 12 3/8” x 11” dark brown hardwood frame, and sports a brown light cardboard backing with a brass hanging post at top. A fine example of a very rare, original Antique 1790s American Federal Period “1796 / oakm, Mass / Margaret G.” Schoolgirl Young Lady’s Framed Sampler.