There are so many that are beyond pretty -- they are exquisitely beautiful, such as Souvenir de la Malmaison, mentioned above, and Common Moss.

Personally, I particularly like the tiny flowers and ferny leaves of the Scots roses : Stanwell Perpetual, which is a cross with a tea rose (?), is one of the most beautiful of all the roses and was beloved of Gertrude Jekyll.

I recently planted Excellenz von Schubert, a lilac colored musk rose, and find its rounded flowers so charming, though maybe it is not as old as those mentioned above. The best thing is to explore some of the wonderful websites (not to mention books) devoted to old roses and do ones' personal research.

Ingrid

Warmer climate: Duchesse de Brabant, Devoniensis, Gloire de Dijon, Marechal Niel, double white or double yellow Lady Banks

Carol

I have grown to love Ducher, Rival de Paestum, and other whites.

I also really like Cramoisi Superieur espcially since those roses give me red. In a no spray garden for me, I have not found many reds.

Erfurt is so different, and I love it. But so is Le Vesuve. Penelope in threes gives a different texture that I like.

I am creating a bed of 5 Caldwell Pink. It is a different pink to me. It seems to have a slight purple cast that radiates. I have not seen a rose like that, and at first I thought it was just another polyantha rose. (china, they may not have decided yet). But, that color is quite unusual.

I have another bed of Perle d' Or, well a bed of 4. They are more towards apricot, and I do not have much of that color.

Very prettiest! I could easily go on. Sara- Ann, you can't go wrong.

I hope others keep on posting. I like this thread.

Sammy

Sombreuile

Mrs. B.R. Cant- full, old-fashioned bloom

Louisiana Arcadia Tea - just lovely, photos don't do it justice

SDLM -gorgeous, but very weak plant here, may not survive

Lady Hillingdon- striking, glows when the sun shines through it

Duchess du Brabant - lovely cups

Baronne Prevost - form, color and fragrance

Louis Phillippe -form, color, fragrance, health and rebloom!

There are probably others, but these are the ones that come to mind because they have bloomed recently.

I love the variety of blooms and foliage in the Antique roses and the Moss on the Moss roses which adds such a great degree of charm. The long leafy sepals on a Damask rose draws me nearer. The darling small roses on 'Beauty of Edsell' with that pertness of foliage seen on a Scots rosebush, (Hybrid Spinosissima in the U.S.)with leaves attractive enough to deserve a place in the garden, in addition to the roses that bloom a month each year. Today I stopped to gaze at the arching canes of dozens of plants of lutea banksiae that are growing over a cyclone fence surrounding a railroad property on my way to the library today. I imagined that same rose glorifying a hillside bank in China. Each light hued egg yolk yellow rose duplicated by thousands upon thousands, creating a cloud of beauty.
Mutabilis that gives an overall gay effect that lifts the heart, and seems as though the bush were covered with multi -colored butterflies.
The huge pink and cream blooms of 'Susan Louise' that dangle from a tree- sized plant and which bloom from spring through Christmas.
I've spent hours gazing at a single Old Garden Tea rose, Angels Camp Tea' for one, in a vase, a prolonged meditation on roses from a class an author noted for its' roses showing a great delicacy of beauty.
Cornelia' another vote for a charming pink rose, small light pink to bright pink petals surrounding a boss of gold. A Pemberton Hybrid Musk from the 1930's.
Roses, roses and roses galore
roses from antiquity produce more forms of beauty.
I deem.

Lux

I like the large semi-doubles which have such elegant graceful blooms, such as Fortune's Double Yellow (ancient Chinese gigantica hybrid), or Pax (a hybrid musk from 1918). Here is a pic of FDY:

Jackie