Émile Cartailhac (15 February 1845 – 26 November 1921) was a French prehistorian, one of the founding fathers of the studies of the cave art. He is perhaps best remembered because of his involvement with the Altamira paintings. Cartailhac was born in Marseille. He became interested in prehistory (studies of which were then just beginning) at a very young age. He made excavations around the dolmens in Aveyron, and also in Portugal, Iceland and the Balearic Islands. In 1867 he was the supervisor of the prehistory section at a world's fair in Paris. Two years later, he became the chief editor of the revue Matériaux pour l'histoire naturelle et primitive de l'homme founded by Gabriel de Mortillet. This position he held until 1887. From 1882 he taught at the university in Toulouse and in 1897 he was elected a curator of Académie des Jeux floraux. After changing his opinion about Altamira, he became one of the founders of the studies of the cave art and one of the scientists (together with e. g. Henri Breuil) who recognised its importance. With Breuil he made the initial survey of the Caves of Gargas at Aventignan in the Pyrenees, and where Félix Régnault discovered Gravettian cave art in 1906. He was (together with Breuill and Marcellin Boule) one of the founders of Institut de paléontologie humaine in Paris (following a generous donation from Albert I).

Émile Cartailhac, né à Marseille le 15 février 1845 et mort à Genève le 26 novembre 1921, est un préhistorien français qui a contribué à faire admettre l'existence d'un art pariétal paléolithique après l'avoir mise en doute. Il fut le premier à enseigner l'archéologie préhistorique dès 1882.