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.

This journal page covers February 9, 1959, and February 9–10, 1960. In his entry for February 9, 1959, Indiana describes his morning, which included a trip to the library, retrieving his wallet from the artist Lenore Tawney's place, and reading Robert Dash's article in February's ArtNews. This was followed by a trip uptown to see some of the galleries, and "a painful evening" at the Persian Room (a night club at the Plaza Hotel).

Indiana returned to this page a year later, on Feb 9, 1960, recording that he ordered some large stretchers, which would not be ready until the following week, and that J. (his partner, fashion designer John Kloss) purchased a mannequin.

In his entry for February 10, 1960, Indiana describes his work on Wall of China, recording that he made the rusted drain disk white. He also includes a sketch of another untitled construction (later retitled Pair), consisting of four orbs on one of five wooden beams he collected from Water Street. He notes "this is surely just a starter," and expresses his interest in combining the natural wood with gesso, and color with metal.