Mondrian had the Düsseldorf painting photographed shortly after it was first completed. This image documents the first state of the composition before Mondrian reworked it in New York. Based on this photograph, we made a color reconstruction of the first state. According to inscriptions on the reverse of the stretcher and the subframe,  Mondrian completed the first state of the work in 1937 and titled it Rythme de lignes droite (Rhythm of Straight Lines). The painting was consigned to the Valentine Gallery in 1938 and shipped to New York from Paris. Dudensing did not sell the painting in this state, and there is no record that it was exhibited either.