Helen West Heller (1872 – November 19, 1955)[note 1] was an American painter, printmaker, poet, and illustrator.

Heller was born Helen Barnhart[1] in Rushville, Illinois, the daughter of a farmer, boat builder, and decoy maker.

[2] Heller's poetry, meanwhile, attracted the attention of Jane Heap, and between 1926 and 1928 she published a large number of works in journals and in the weekly Art Magazine of the Chicago Evening Post under the name "Tanka".

Heller died in New York in 1955, nearly forgotten;[3] her body was unclaimed for ten days while relatives were sought.

[10] Eight works are in the graphic arts collection at the National Museum of American History, donated by the artist herself after a 1949 show of 35 of her prints.