Indiana has often cited Charles Demuth's painting "I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold" as the inspiration for this series. He created a similar 5-panel painting in 1963, which is a part of the Whitney Museum of American Art's survey of Indiana's work, on view through January 5, 2014. Both works are interpretations of William Carlos Williams' Imagist poem "The Great Figure" from his book "Sour Grapes: A Book of Poems." Indiana interpreted the poem's theme numerous times throughout his career, making the "American Dream #5" one of his most iconic works.

Both prints are from edition 47/100. "The Golden Five" is signed and dated lower right in pencil, titled lower center in pencil, and numbered lower left in pencil. "EAT" is initialed and dated lower right in pencil and numbered lower left in pencil.