'Dainty Bess' is officially classified as a hybrid tea, but it is a bit confusing because it doesn't look like the typical showy roses sold by the millions in plastic packages. It has single pink flowers with a prominent cluster of maroon stamens. Each flower measure 4 to 5 inches across with a sweet scent. This cultivar was developed in 1925 as a cross between 'Ophelia' and 'Kitchener of Khartoum'—both double-flowered. The breeder was the British William Archer, a furniture salesman whose hobby was growing roses. Hybrid tea roses were developed by crossing tea roses with hybrid perpetual roses. The goal was to produce strong-stemmed roses with a long bloom period.