An unidentified bartender from the 1940s stares down from a new mural inside The Still on State in downtown Doylestown. The bar's owners want the community's help putting a name to his face.
Bucks County artist Kenny Restrepo painted the large-scale, black-and-white work from a photograph believed to date to the late 1940s or early 1950s, Patch reported. The image shows a bartender working behind the Doylestown Inn's former Jug in the Wall bar, a drinking spot that occupied the same building decades before The Still opened at 18 W. State St.
Samantha and Todd McCarty, who own the Doylestown Inn and The Still on State, commissioned the mural because they wanted the building's history to stay visible in its next chapter, according to the report. Directly beneath the painting sits the original Jug in the Wall bar itself, which the McCartys preserved and returned to service.
Nobody has identified the bartender.
The McCartys are hoping someone in the community may recognize him or have an old photograph, family memory or story that could connect a name to the face.
Restrepo, a U.S. Marine veteran and former New York City police officer, owns Art of War Tattoo in New Hope, a private studio specializing in photorealism. His work spans tattooing, painting, murals and detailed costume design.
"We're really excited to start a new chapter of the Doylestown Inn," general manager Billy Gilbo said on Sept. 3, when The Still first opened.
The Still's interior pairs the mural with the inn's original 19th-century mahogany bar, leather banquette seating for about 35 and a jade-and-turquoise color scheme. Rost Artisan Builders handled the build-out. The bar also features a 10-stool outdoor bar in the alley beside the inn and an on-site micro-distillery called The Tilted Brim, overseen by distiller Tom Gallen, with a drink menu spotlighting Pennsylvania producers.
The mural's debut comes as downtown Doylestown prepares for the 35th annual Doylestown Arts Festival on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Sunday, Sept. 13, which organizers estimate draws more than 20,000 visitors. Residents who think they can identify the mystery bartender can visit The Still on State at 18 W. State St.



