Robert Indiana kept a series of illustrated journals during the late 1950s and 1960s, in which he discusses the development of his work as well as his daily life on Coenties Slip.

In his journal entry for August 18, 1962, Indiana notes that it was one of the most beautiful days of the year, but that he was too busy to go out and appreciate it. He describes scrapping a painting that he had been working on, titled Money, after J. (his partner, fashion designer John Kloss) told him "it looks like a copy of your work," and records applying the black field to the "Whitehall" panel of The Melville Triptych.

The entry also includes a sketch of the painting Die, with a note indicating that it is black on yellow on black. Regarding the painting Indiana writes "try [the] sq[uare] again, but really inadvertently."