Traditional Persian is one of several names for a group of cats that are considered to be essentially the original breed of Persian cat, before the variety was selectively bred to have extreme features. Other everyday usage names are: Doll Face Persian, Classic Persian, Old Fashioned Persian, Long-nosed Persian, Old-style Longhair, Traditional Longhair and Original Longhair.

The physical appearance of this domestic cat breed barely changed when compared to photos dating back to the late 1800s. However, since some breeders in the United States and other parts of the world introduced the brachycephalic mutation into the breed, the short nose and clear break became shorter and higher. This resulted in the modification of the original Persian breed standard so that modern show quality Persians must have pushed-in faces. This resulted in the breed disappearing from cat shows.

However, this older form of Persian cat was made iconic to the general public through its use in popular films, even as it was being phased out in the cat fancy. For example, the Traditional Persian has been featured in eight of the James Bond movies, beginning with "From Russia with Love" in 1963. It was also featured in the kung fu cult classic Enter the Dragon.^{[citation needed]}

Persian cats originate from Persia (Iran). The cats were introduced in Europe in the 1500s as highly valued items of trade. The Europeans were impressed by the Persian's long, silky coat and purposefully bred the cats to perpetuate the trait.

Two mutations of note influenced the Persian cats: the color inhibitor gene (1882) that gave rise to the so-called "chinchilla" coat and the brachycephalic mutation (circa 1942) that gave rise to the so-called "peke-faced" or "snub-nosed" Persian cats.

The brachycephalic mutation in the Persian breed occurred during World War II in the US. This led to a concerted effort to breed Persians with rounder heads and smaller ears than their ancient ancestors after World War II. The resultant brachycephalic heads lead to the much desired snub noses favored by many modern Persian breeders and which dictates the modern standard for Persians in cat fancies throughout the world.

The color inhibitor gene mutated in a Persian cross in 1882 in the UK in a cat called "Chinnie". The offspring of this mutation that express the gene are commonly known as "chinchillas" presumably due to the resemblance of their coat to that of the rodent by that name. They were classified as a Persian variety for breeding purposes.

The chinchilla comes in both the silver and golden series, with black silver chinchilla as the most common. Chinchilla cats are almost pure white Persian cats with a sprinkling of darker colored tipping (shell) that gives them a sparkling metallic appearance. The chinchilla should have only a tiny amount of darker colored tipping on their face and legs. Only the hair tips are darker pigmented (approx. 1/8 of the hair length), and chinchillas are significantly lighter in overall color compared to Persians with shaded coats (approx. 1/3 of the hair length is darker pigmented).