Edmund Mahlknecht was an Austrian painter, brother of the engraver, photographer and painter Karl Mahlknecht (1810-1893).

His talent was discovered by the drawing teacher Joseph Hasslwander (1812–1878). Edmund Mahlknecht received his first painting lessons from his older brother Karl, studied from 1836 at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna with Joseph Mössmer and Franz Steinfeld the Younger, from 1839 he studied landscape painting with Anton Hansch .

Mahlknecht mainly dealt with animal and landscape painting, influenced by Friedrich Gauermann (1807–1862). He participated in many art exhibitions. At the world exhibition in Sydney (Australia) in 1879 he was awarded an honorary diploma.

Mahlknecht was also a drawing teacher at the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.