The ivory dress, crocheted and lined with satin and chiffon, was created by Josephine Toftner from Gary in Norman County, Minnesota. She entered the dress into the 1917 Minnesota State Fair, where it won third place in the category of "Dress, fancy white." Toftner was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants, the second of five children. In 1920, both of her parents had died and she and her three younger sisters were living on a farm with their older brother. After the war, she worked at Bradshaw Wholesale Milliners in Minneapolis, and continued to be a dressmaker throughout her life.

The second image shows Toftner wearing the ivory dress.