pull up wife's photos from her phone to view on iCloud

If you have iCloud Photos turned on, the photos on the device are the same as on iCloud, with the possible exception that some of them may be space-saving optimized versions if you have that option turned on. You view them in the Photos app on an iOS device. You can also login to icloud.com and go to the Photos app there. See: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204264

If you didn't have iCloud Photos turned on but do have an iCloud backup, you can restore the entire phone (not just the photos) from iCloud but you cannot otherwise view the contents of the backup. https://support.apple.com/kb/ph12521

If you are asking about Family Sharing, be aware that photos are not automatically shared, even if you are sharing an iCloud storage plan. You can share selected photos by adding them to the shared album. See the following from Family Sharing - Apple

When you set up your family, a shared album is created automatically in the Photos app on all family members’ devices. Everyone can add photos, videos, and comments to the album whenever they like and get notified when something new is added.