Persians have been popular since the Victorian times. Persians graced the courts of royalty for centuries. By the 1900s the cats were being exported to the United States and since then their popularity has spread throughout the world. In the 19th century, the Persian Cat became the symbol of luxury among the European elite. These cats were among the first breed to be registered and shown. 

The Angora was the "other" long haired breed of the time, which was said to have a rather smaller head, with larger ears and fur more silky with a tendency to wooliness, in comparison to the traditional Persian (with a 'doll face'). Breeders trying to increase their traditional Persian (doll faced) breeding stock began using the Angora, causing the Angora to gradually disappear from British soil.
The Persian is the most popular breed among the long-haired cats; others include Birman, Turkish Van, Ragdoll, Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest Cat and the Exotic (short hair version of the Persian). The Persian Standard did not change in about the last twenty years, only some breeders and judges in America started to interpret the standard differently. The short nose and clear break became shorter and higher. This resulted eventually in the 'peke face' Persian, now forbidden because of the cat's health problem. But still these days you see for the most part only extreme American type Persians on cat show. I hope this website will contribute to get the traditional, doll faced Persian back in the picture again. The Persian standard is more then just a description about the nose of the cat, most people going to the shows with their traditional Persian get many positive reactions and get great results.

Show standard from the CFA during the late seventies: click

Traditional Persian Cat European Type Doll Faced	Extreme Persian Cat American Type Pig Faced

Sources:
Seymour, Juliet. "Breed History." Guide to Owning a Persian Cat.
http://www.farsinet.com/gorbeh