Elsa Fraenkel née Rothschild (1892–1975) was a German–born British sculptor raised in Heidelberg, Germany.

Elsa Fraenkel’s interest in art began when she was a young girl. She was born into a prosperous family in Heidelberg and received the support of her family in this endeavor. She took drawing lessons in Brussels at age 16. She also attended History of Art lectures in Heidelberg University and studied at Karlsruhe Academy under Friedrich Fehr (drawing) and Herman Foehri (sculpture).

In 1918, the year of her marriage to Dr.jur (law). Georg Fraenkel, she moved to Hanover, Germany, where her husband had his practice. They had two children named Frank and Renate. While in Hanover, Elsa Fraenkel traveled to Paris, France at least once a year to study further under Jacques Loutchansky, the sculptor, and moved in the artist circles of Constantin Brâncuși, Piet Mondrian, Charles Despiau, Aristide Maillol, Fernand Léger and others.