Geisha are traditional Japanese female entertainers who act as hostesses and whose skills include performing various arts such as classical music, dance, games and conversation. Because the geisha is much coveted, prostitutes have called themselves geisha's to bring in customers. Both where a kimono, and over their kimono is an obi (or sash). Geisha's tie their obi in the back, and prostitutes tie it in the front. A geisha's appearance changes throughout her career, from the girlish, heavily made-up maiko, to the more somber appearance of an older established geisha. Different hairstyles and hairpins signify different stages of a girl's development and even a detail as minute as the length of one's eyebrows is significant. Short eyebrows are for the young and long eyebrows display maturity. Photographed by Herbert George Ponting, 1901-06.