Background
She was born in Østre Gausdal as a daughter of district physician Wilhelm Jacobi Müller (1830–1909) and Hansine Pauline Ross (1830–1907).
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She was born in Østre Gausdal as a daughter of district physician Wilhelm Jacobi Müller (1830–1909) and Hansine Pauline Ross (1830–1907).
The family moved three times before she was ten, but she finished middle school at Nissen School in 1882.
The couple moved to Kirkenes, where Wessel had been hired as district physician of Sør-Varanger. They had seven children, but all died young. She started a documentary effort, especially as a photographer of the scenery and human life.
Her documentation of the Sami culture, among others in the 1902 book Fra vor grændse mod Rusland, has been deemed "invaluable".
When travelling around she also became more aware of the widespread poverty in the region, and became a political activist. Having voted Liberal in her early adulthood, she aligned with the Labour Party from 1904.
They invited public speakers ("agitators") and housed Russian refugees after the failed 1905 revolution. She translated revolutionary literature from Russian and German, and in 1906 she was a driving force in founding the local trade union, Nordens Klippe where she became both secretary and treasurer.
She contributed to the labour movement"s newspapers and periodicals, but was controversial.
As a result, she ran her own periodical Klasse mot Klasse in 1914 and 1915. She was also a published poet, with Vinter og Vaar (1903), Nye smaavers (1904) and Det kalder. Digte (1930), the first two on Aschehoug.
She gradually aligned more and more with the syndicalists, contributing to the publications Revolt, Direkte Aktion, Solidaritet and Alarm.
She died in November 1949 in Kirkenes, and was buried in the town, where her grave is visited by a parade on May Day.
In 1914 she also issued the socialist children"s book, Den lille socialist.