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 March 15, 1959, and March 15, 1960. In his entry for March 15, 1959, Indiana records that he went to visit Jesse (Wilkinson), and got invited to "a soiree of the old-order of the Slip." He does not discuss any works in the entry.

Indiana's entry for March 15, 1960, includes a sketch of The Bride (later retitled In Praise of Dead Generals), with notes indicating the areas where he used raw sienna (Bellini) paint, as well as its medium, oil on canvas, and its dimensions, 60 by 48 inches. Indiana also records that there were still patches of snow in the country.