Pablo Picasso painted First Steps in 1943, at the height of World War II and the German occupation of Paris. Commentators have frequently suggested that the war was a thematic subtext to the painting's portrayal of the determined but uncertain first steps of a child, and its evocation of hope in the face of precarious circumstances.

Technical study of First Steps illuminates the evolution of the composition. Early in his career, Picasso re-used canvases for economic reasons. This practical habit evolved into a system. He frequently relied on his ability to easily amend compositions, using early some elements and discarding others. Diagonal brushstrokes that were eliminated in the final work are visible in raking light. The x-ray confirms changes that suggest the child might have once been standing in front of or seated on a large chair. The diagonals have partially evolved into the child's jumper and the point where the mother's and child's hands meet. The pronounced density of paint handling in the child's face is also notable. In the x-ray, an earlier, angular head and eyes are visible as are a different hair style and mouth suggesting a portrait of a woman resembling contemporaneous paintings of Picasso's lover Dora Maar.