Earliest Possible Development of Lightbulb

So, basic query: how and could the lightbulb have been invented earlier? Bonus points if you can do it really early. I would think that the basic elements to create the first bulb were laying around for quite some time before Edison just happened to get it right. Possible? The Wikipedia list of lightbulb dabblers is pretty long, going all the way back to Sir Davy in 1802.
 
Well, the light bulb requires a battery, so the development of an earlier battery could also result in the earlier development of the light bulb. The first battery like devices were made at the end of the 18th century, but if you go further back, the Leyden jar of the mid 1700's could be considered a battery. So, if someone in the mid 18th century managed to convert a Leyden jar into a sophisticated battery, that "could" result in the earlier development of light bulbs.
 
not to mention a high-ernd vacuum pump and gölass sealing technology. Light bulbs are like bicycles - the principle looks siomple, but it's fiendishly difficult to get it to work. I'd say you can have a functioning model sometime in the mid 19th century, if you have someone who is driven and lucky. Not likely before then.
 
The wiki article mentions that some 22 people had light bulbs before edison, and that his took off due to 1) a better vacuum pump and 2) he sold systems including the generator.

Some sort of 'toy' lighting system seems to be possible by about 1850, as there have been multiple prototypes of both bulbs and generators by then.

Government offices, and/or homes of really rich people are about the only places youd see them, though, id imagine, as those early bulbs would burn out fast.
 
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