University of Washington

• ART H 273

• Art H 273 April 26th, 2020 Quiz 1 Indexical sign: Indexical signs are one of the most complicated amongst the Semiotic signs, as Indexical signs is the existential link between the signifier and the signified. In more basic terms, the Indexical sign is essentially the relation between cause and effect. Some examples of an Indexical sign as noted in our lecture are fingerprints and shadows. In this instance, the signifier (fingerprints) is caused by the signified (a hand). Indexical signs within photography add a new layer of complexity, as photographs are indexical traces of what they represent. While indexical signs can be seen in all photographs, one prime example is the photograph of the first footstep on the moon, the imprint being the signifier that Neil Armstrong (the signified) was there. Solomon Godeau argued that all photography is an indexical sign between the relation of whatever was