I am wondering how to strip a 100 year old oval frame and not hurt it?

If it is wood, and being that old, I would assume so, use Citristrip.

I would consult with an expert first, before touching it. You could damage it especially if the appliqués are plaster.

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Your-Guide-to-Buying-Antique-Picture-Frames-/10000000177627920/g.html

Are you keeping what appears to be gold????Is that metal or just paint .Citirstrip is the safest non-toxic product to use

Go with Naomie's suggestion, it is the best product.

Whatever the design is made of, that looks applied. In other words it is more fragile than the wood itself (even if it too is wood) thus it will have lots of nooks and crannies for paint remover to get hung up in and special care must be taken (and implements used) to do a good and careful thorough job in those areas. If it is all just paint then no problem.

How to get residue out of Telflon pan from boiling water in it.

If you are not looking to stain it then don't strip it. Just chalk paint right over the top of everything. No prep unless you see loose paint. Clean it and lightly sand it if concerned. I just did a beautiful oval frame and used a silver glaze on it Which highlighted the detail. I love how it turned out.

Don’t strip and refinish. It is most valuable as it is.