Solar eclipses in black and white: How a US President and others watched the moon blocking the sun in the early 20th century (11 Pics)

In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge and his wife rose early to watch the solar eclipse from the White House Lawn.

Also in 1925, these astronomers watched the solar eclipse through telescopes and cameras from the Naval Observatory.

President Coolidge, who was in office from 1923 to 1929, watched the 1925 eclipse through a blackened window pane alongside his wife outside the White House.

In this image, a horse rider is seen entertaining crowds of people waiting for the sky to turn dark.

Here, General John A LeJeune, Commandant of the US Marine Corps, is seen viewing the 1925 eclipse in front of the Navy Department at Washington.

These men are seen casting shadows as they observe an eclipse.

In 1923, these men set up a large camera to photograph the eclipse.

The Postmaster General took pictures as he watched the 1925 eclipse with the aid of a photographic plate.

William Jennings Bryan, a caller at the White House, was snapped as he took a "peek" at an eclipse through a blackened glass.

Dr George H. Peters with his camera, ready to photograph the 1925 eclipse.

This photograph from 1911 shows crowd watching a solar eclipse.