Filmed in 1928, The Hidden Talisman: A Ghostly Romance of the Cloisters tells the story of the history of The Cloisters, as well as a centuries-spanning romance between the characters Bertrade and Thibaud. Before going off to war, Thibaud leaves a talisman with Bertrade and asks her to guard it. Centuries later, she searches The Cloisters in order to recover the talisman and see Thibaud again.
This film was shot at the original Cloisters museum established by George Gray Barnard in 1914. In 1925, The Metropolitan Museum purchased the building and collection, operating it in its original location until constructing the current Cloisters a half mile to the north. The new building opened in May, 1938. The Hidden Talisman offers a rare glimpse into the original Barnard Cloisters.
May 2013 through May 2014 marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of The Cloisters.
